Forever, My Love
by TLoZTFH
Summary: In the final battle for Hyrule, the King of Evil cast one certain spell before he was sealed away. One spell, that resulted in the Hero of Time becoming the Heroine of Time. One spell, that made her give birth to his daughter. One spell, that birthed a child with one purpose; to kill her father, whether she wants to or not. Yuri, violence, OC-centric, language, adult themes.
1. Chapter I

Forever, My Love

Chapter I

Smoke rose from the chimney of a cabin on the edge of Hyrule Field, near Hylia River. It was a modest little thing, with two rooms, a bedroom and a kitchen. It had two inhabitants; a Gerudo woman named Linika, 29, formerly the Hero(ine?) of Time, changed through an irreversible magic spell, and her daughter, Siria, 18. They both had azure eyes, red hair, and pale skin(they lived away from the Gerudo Desert, and as such were not constantly exposed to the desert sun).

"Siria! Breakfast!"

The call sounded into the bedroom, where said daughter was calmly combing her hair. Upon hearing the call, she lowered the brush to the top of the vanity and strode into the kitchen, her stomach growling at the enticing smells in the air.

Once they had eaten, Siria went back to combing her stubborn red hair. Neither Linika nor Siria were pureborn Gerudo, and as such they did not live in the desert, because they didn't feel comfortable.

But, Nayru, why couldn't they have lost the hair gene?

About fifteen minutes later, Siria dropped her comb and smiled triumphantly at her reflection's well-combed hair. She walked outside and shouted, "I'm going to Romani's!" Before leaping on her horse and speeding off.

Linika watched the retreating dust cloud with concern. The monsters out on Hyrule Field had been increasing lately.

But she guessed something would happen sooner or later, and the girl _was_ eighteen. It was time for her to face her destiny, Linika supposed.

XxxX

Siria calmly pulled her horse, Snowfall, to a halt at the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch. She set her free to graze, then entered, knocking on the door of the ranch house. Soon, it opened, and a young woman with almost exactly the same features as her regarded her happily.

"Morning, Riri!" The other girl drew her into a tight hug. Siria laughed, petting the other girl's head.

"Good morning, Romani."

Though Romani was the daughter of the ranch owner, Malon, and Siria was Linika's daughter, the two were often mistaken for sisters. They had the same deep blue eyes, red hair, and pale skin. The only thing that made them different was their personalities and the curl of hair that sat atop Romani's head.

They had been friends since childhood, Siria coming over almost every morning to help Romani with her chores. They were now sworn sisters and were remarkably like twins; they almost always knew what the other was thinking. They knew each other's quirks, weak points, everything.

Except for one thing.

Siria had chosen to hide the fact she was engaged from Romani. This news would probably upset her, and Siria was waiting for Romani to have a bad day. If she had a _good_ day, why ruin it for her, right?

And it wasn't just anyone she was engaged to. It was Saimana Lilonia Norenian (or Mana, as Siria liked to call her), self-proclaimed Princess of Malin, a country far to the south, and daughter of the Goddess of Fate.

To Siria, when she had first seen her in Hyrule Castle Town a year ago, the woman had been nothing short of a Goddess herself. With her red eyes, silver hair, pale skin, and perfect figure, she looked the part, too. They had met shortly after than first sighting, by a "very fortunate coincidence," as Linika called it.

XxXx

"_Why me?" Siria groaned, forgetting all about the silver-haired beauty she had just seen when a carriage rolled by, splashing water all over her. Now her package to the Queen was wet! She wondered what kind of punishment she would receive for this. Not, of course, from the Queen for delivering a wet dress-Queen Zelda was a very kind and forgiving soul- but from her mother, for delivering a wet dress._

_Siria cringed at the thought, continuing on her path to the castle. That was where the carriage that carried the beautiful silver-haired woman had been going. Perhaps she would get a chance to meet her._

_Or, knowing her luck, perhaps not._

_When she reached the gate to the caste, she saw that the carriage she had seen earlier had stopped. She did not understand why, until she saw it had a broken wheel from a rut not too far from where she was standing. She walked quickly over._

_The woman was still inside when she looked._

"_Are you all right, Miss?" She asked slowly, her eyes taking in every perfect detail about this Goddess. The woman nodded._

"_Yes, I believe so," the other answered in a somewhat shaky voice. Siria ducked out and surveyed the damage. It wasn't too bad, she supposed. The wheel had just come off its axle._

_With that, she went to work. She called on the soldiers standing at the gate to help lift the carriage, and she fitted the wheel back on. She noticed the woman was shivering in the freezing rain._

"_Hey." She walked up to her._

"_What?" The woman replied. Siria undid the clasp on her cloak and handed it to the woman._

"_Here. I'm plenty warm."_

_After that, of course, they introduced themselves. After the delivery had been made, the woman grabbed Siria's hand while she was leaving._

"_Can I see you again?"_

"_Tomorrow," Siria replied. "There's an old temple in the west part of town. Most people don't go there, but it's quiet and beautiful. Meet me there at noon."_

xXxX

After that, things had… escalated between them, until they got to the point that Saimana proposed to her at the temple after almost a year. At that point, Siria had been more than ready to accept, seeing how she had fallen deeply in love with Saimana.

She never once thought of why Saimana hadn't returned to Malin.

Romani hated when Siria got like this. She spaced out with a dreamy expression on her face. It was odd, but she'd gotten used to it over the past year. She had met Siria's girlfriend, Saimana, and she knew why. Unknown to Siria, she _did_ know perfectly well that the two were engaged.

"Hey, Riri." She shook her sworn sister, who immediately came back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Romani," Siria said.

"Thinking about Saimana again?" Romani teased.

"No!" Siria blushed. "…Well, maybe a little."

Romani laughed gently at her sister's expense, then tugged her towards the barn.

"Let's get to work!"

XxxX

Saimana sighed, twirling her long silver hair around one finger. She hummed to herself idly, staring about at the splendor that was the Hyrule Castle Gardens.

"Enjoying the flowers, Saimana?" A gentle voice asked, and another woman seated herself beside her on the stone bench.

"Your Majesty," Saimana greeted. "Indeed I am."

Zelda smiled. "That is good. Were you thinking about Siria again?"

"You read me like an open book, Your Majesty," Saimana replied. She began twirling her hair the other way.

"Tell me, why have you not returned to Malin?" Zelda inquired.

"I have told you this before, Your Majesty. I have come to the country of Hyrule so I can find my destiny. Then, and only then, will I return to my homeland," Saimana monotoned, immediately dropping her cheerful manner.

"Oh, yes, I remember now."

Saimana snorted. "Convenient timing."

"...I heard you love roses?" Zelda said, sighing as she attempted to change the subject.

"Somewhat," Saimana muttered curtly, ignoring the Queen's attempt to rekindle conversation.

XxxX

"-And…" Suddenly, Siria stopped midsentence. Romani looked down from the fence she was sitting on, to see her sworn sister passed out on the ground. She immediately dropped down next to her and shook her.

"Hey, Riri."

Nothing.

"Riri?"

Still nothing.

"SIRIA!"

XxxX

"Ugh…" Siria groaned, slowly opening her eyes. She couldn't see very well… She was in a dimly lit room… Next to a fire…

Her sight cleared up, and she saw she was covered in blankets. She looked out a window and saw it was not only nighttime, but it was _pouring_ rain. She blinked her azure eyes again and realized she was in the ranch house.

Malon, the owner of the ranch, walked in, carefully balancing two steaming cups of tea. She sat and handed one to Siria, who nodded her thanks. After a long silence, Malon spoke.

"You've been asleep for two days."

"What?" Siria exclaimed, shooting to her feet, then collapsing when a wave of pain swept through her.

"Calm down. Linika and Saimana are both here, so it's fine."

"That's what I was worried about," Siria muttered, sitting up. "Don't tell them, please, Malon, but… I've been having dreams. Strange dreams. Of… a sword. And a man, who called himself Ganondorf."

Malon visibly paled, her smile faltering for a second. "You… what?" She asked slowly, her smile now a lot more forced.

Siria repeated her description of her dreams.

"…Let me go talk to Linika." Malon stood.

"But-!" Siria cried after her.

She was left alone in the room. She picked idly at the brown dress she was wearing, her brow furrowing in confusion and worry. Her dreams had obviously disturbed Malon, especially the mention of the name Ganondorf. She had no idea what it all meant, but for some reason, the name rang bells in her head. The meaning was right there, dangling like a metaphorical carrot she just couldn't reach.

"…Dammit…" She muttered. She felt like banging her head against a wall. That would've been at least a little more productive than trying to piece the fragmented puzzle together.

"What has my little Siria all worried and frustrated this time?" A soft voice asked, and two gentle arms wrapped themselves around Siria from behind. Siria sighed.

"Hello, Saimana." The words left her mouth automatically, in a somewhat bored tone of voice

"…Hello to you too, Siria," Saimana said, the tone of her voice now childishly sullen.

"…Hey, Mana…" Siria pulled her fiancé down, into her arms, giving her a gentle kiss. "Don't be angry. I was just greeting you, after all."

"Mmm…" Saimana responded, getting somewhat lost in Siria's eyes. "…I… forgive you…"

"Well, I would hope so," Siria giggled. "I _am _going to marry you, and I would hate to lose a relationship over a petty greeting."

"Mmm. So, what are you thinking about?" Saimana queried curiously. Siria shook her head.

"Just some dreams," She replied, trying to make it sound as boring as possible. Saimana raised an eyebrow, with a kind of, "oh really?" look. This seemed to work on Siria.

"Okay…" Siria described her dreams once again to her future wife, going into quite a bit more detail than she had with Malon.

"Ah." Saimana sighed. "I think I heard something about this Ganondorf once. It was something about him being a, 'King of Evil,' or something like that."

"I see," Siria frowned. "But what do you think it could mean? And what about the sword?"

"Why are you asking me?"

Siria scowled. "Do you see anyone else in this room, Mana?"

"Well, how am I supposed to know?"

"You're not," a voice interjected, before Siria could speak. Linika walked into the room, seating herself in an armchair, Romani and Malon following her and doing the same.

"No one outside Hyrule should, and one person inside Hyrule, as well," Malon added.

"Oh," Siria muttered. "Yeah, that clears it up."

"I suppose you know the legend of the Hero of Time, Siria and Romani?" Linika inquired. The two sisters looked at each other.

"Well, yeah," Romani began.

"Who doesn't know?" Siria added. "It's a story about a guy with the Triforce of Courage who appears when Hyrule is in danger, right?"

"Basically, though it is not always a man." Linika answered. "Now, before you were born, a Gerudo man named Ganondorf obtained the Triforce of Power, and I _know _you both know what that is. Long story short, the Hero of Time appeared, and with the help of the current Queen Zelda and the six Sages, sealed Ganondorf away. However, just before he was sealed, Ganondorf cast a spell that hit the Hero of Time directly. It was not a very strong one, because the King of Evil was low on power at the time, but it changed the Hero of Time into a woman who gave birth to his daughter. Can you guess the name of that child?"

"It's me, isn't it?" Siria responded immediately.

"…Yes, it's you. I have passed on the Triforce of Courage to you, in hopes that someday you will defeat Ganondorf." Linika said. "Which is just as well, because you seem to be skilled with both the bow and sword."

"What does that have to do with it?" Romani questioned for Siria.

"Well, the only weapon that can draw so much as a drop of blood from the King of Evil's body is the Master Sword."

"But isn't he still sealed away?" Siria protested.

"You have also noticed the increase of monsters on Hyrule Field, I presume. They are gathering to herald his coming. Like it or not, you have at the very most, six years until the arrival of Ganondorf, and when he gets here, you're going to have to fight.

"To the death."

Siria shuddered, many very disturbing images of herself being killed in different ways running through her head. She spoke after a small silence, "So what do I do?"

"You must travel to Crimea, a land far south of here. There, a man named Ike Greil will train you. Romani, I would like you to accompany her, for you have a role to play in all this as well."

"If Siria is going, I also must go," Saimana spoke for the first time in a while.

"I've never even heard of this place. How far away is it?" Siria asked.

"Well, it's about a two year journey," Linika responded.

"What? You can't be serious!" Romani exclaimed.

"I am very serious. You leave in a week."

XxxX

Two weeks later…

"Remind me again why I have to go." Romani grumbled as Siria, Saimana, and she plodded forward on the dusty road they were following. They had just left Aritia, a land just to the south of Hyrule. They still had a long, long way to go.

"Because Mother and Malon said so," Siria reminded her. "Come on, cheer up."

"Cheer up? The innkeeper in the last town said we're going to have to cross a _desert_ to get to where we're going," Romani said.

"We have enough water to make it through," Saimana responded. "Besides, I've been through many deserts. As long as you know where you're going, it's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say."

"Stop being such a pessimist. It's not helping," Siria said, now getting a little frustrated.

"Well…"

"Just shut up, okay?" Siria interrupted.

Romani closed her mouth, nodding in silence.

With that, a new silence lapsed over them, and the three heroines focused on the road ahead, unsure of what it would bring.

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER I

END

XXXXX

**A/N:**

**Whew! It feels so good to be writing again! I finally got a computer, so I can write again! And I draft all my work on paper now, so there will be no filler/absolutely-WTF-I-DON'T-GIVE-A-CRAP chapters.**

**On another note, what did you guys think? My writing style's changed a bit, and I plan on being a lot more descriptive. And yes, I'm aware this is a short first chapter.**

**I can't believe this small thing took me 2 weeks, with a ton of revisions. I'm aware it's not very detailed, but that will be improved.**

**So… yeah! Later, and don't forget to click that little review button down there! I... uh... I'll give you a cookie...?**

**(Hangs head in shame) Why am I so hopeless?**

…**So review! And tell me what you liked, disliked(without flaming), hated, needs improvement, etc. And remember, I don't like flaming, I like being critiqued.**

**-TLoZTFH**


	2. Chapter II

Forever, My Love

Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the insane wait! Not my faul- (Ducks incoming tomato)**

XxxX

"We made it!" Siria exclaimed, surveying the country of Crimea from the mountain road the trio was traversing. Lavish green meadows, deep blue lakes, snaking rivers, large, lush forests, and flourishing towns and cities all covered the beautiful landscape, making it reminiscent of a work of art. There were few other places they had seen that compared to the splendor laid out before them. Truly, this land must have been home to the Goddess of Beauty.

"It's so… amazing…" Romani murmured, voicing their thoughts.

"Indeed it is, ladies. What brings you to Crimea?" A deep, masculine voice asked from behind them, and they turned.

It was a rather tall man, with a heavily built figure. His eyes were a deep aqua, the same color as his hair. He was dressed in light armor, and he was carrying a golden sword. Several small scars showed up here and there on his skin, a sign that he had been in quite a few battles.

Romani was the first to open her mouth.

"W-well… um…" She fumbled for words.

"We have come from Hyrule, sent by Linika Avalon to find a man by the name of Ike Greil," Saimana spoke. The man laughed.

"I see. Ah, I see. Well, lucky for you, I'm Ike. Linika sent me a message by dove. Siria and Romani, you need to be trained, correct?"

The sisters nodded.

"But what about you?" Ike looked at Saimana. "Linika didn't mention a third in her letter."

Siria imagined her mother with a grin on her face that said, _"Oops."_

"I am Saimana Norenian, Siria's fiancée," Saimana responded calmly. Ike raised an eyebrow, a slight expression of surprise crossing his features.

"Is that so? ...Well, if you say so." Shrugging, Ike said, "Anyway, come with me. The Queen has also been expecting you."

XxxX

"You are about to enter the presence of Queen Elincia Ridell. Please be respectful," Ike told the threesome. They were in Castle Crimea, the capital of Crimea. Massive oak doors stood in front of them, leading to the room they assumed was the throne room.

Ike pushed the doors open, and the three gaped. Not at the hall itself, which was indeed astoundingly beautiful, but at the young woman seated on the throne at the other side of the room.

Emerald green hair spilled past her shoulders, contrasting very sharply with her dark orange eyes. Her pale skin seemed to glow slightly. A very simple white dress adorned her figure, and a very intricate gold crown sat upon her head. Upon their entrance she smiled.

"And you are…?" She inquired softly, not a trace of impoliteness evident. It was not meant to be rude; it was simply a question.

Saimana and Siria kneeled, and Romani followed suit. It was Siria who spoke.

"Your Majesty, we are travelers from Hyrule, sent by my mother, Linika Avalon, to be trained by Ike Greil. I am Siria Avalon, and this," she gestured to Saimana. "Is my fiancée, Saimana Norenian. She," Siria nodded towards Romani. "Is my sister, Romani Tahksa."

"I see. Please, stand; you're among friends," the woman upon the throne said gently. "I was sent a message by dove telling me about your arrival, though I am still at a loss after two years as to why Linika could not simply train you herself; she is a very accomplished warrior herself, from what I have been told."

The trio stood. Once again, Siria was the one to reply. "Your Highness, my Mother laid down the sword immediately after I was born."

"Ah… I welcome you to Crimea, my friends. I am Elincia Ridell Crimea. And there is no need to be so respectful. Call me by my name, please."

"_Well, I can definitely tell _she's_ of royal birth." _Siria thought.

"Milady, I would hate to impose, but may we have a place to stay here at the castle? There is no other place for us here," Saimana said, seeing that Siria was lost in her thoughts.

"Of course. Guards, please show them to the guest quarters."

Immediately, the guards, two young men that couldn't have been older than 17, started fidgeting. "But...Your Highness, Sir Geoffrey commanded us to never leave our posts… Ever…" The one on the left, who seemed to be the older, responded weakly.

Elincia raised an eyebrow. "I see. I am dismissing that command. Do not worry about Geoffrey. I will see to it that you don't get punished."

Immediately, the two young men stood up straight. "Right away, Your Majesty!" They saluted, then turned to Siria, Saimana, and Romani. "Please follow us," the right said.

XxxX

"Ahhhhh…" Romani sighed, flopping down on her bed and closing her eyes. "So soft…"

"You know, you could at least take off your armor," Siria told her, calmly removing her shoes.

"Meh. I'm too tired," Romani responded lazily. Nonetheless, she shed her armor and chain mail, then once again laid down. "So, how long do you think this training will take?"

"Who could say?" Saimana responded. "I assume it will be long and hard, though. It will certainly be fun watching you."

Instantly, Siria and Romani turned their heads to look at her. "Watching us?" They asked simultaneously. "Won't you be training with us?"

Saimana laughed. "Oh, no. I was trained in the ways of combat a long time ago. I don't need this training at all. So it's only you two."

"But I've never see you even touch a weapon!" Siria pointed out.

"True, I do not carry a weapon with me at all times like you two, but that doesn't mean I cannot use a sword or bow, or anything else," Saimana replied gently. She then turned to walk out on the balcony of the room. The view was truly magnificent, but she still thought the view from the mountain was so much better. Now, the sun was setting, setting the land ablaze with hues of orange and red.

A knock sounded on the door. "Oi, it's time for dinner," a voice informed them.

"We shall be down shortly," Siria replied.

"Ask a soldier or a servant if you get lost." Footsteps were heard fading in the opposite direction.

"Well," Saimana, rifled through her pack for a red dress Siria had bought for her in a land they had traveled through called Moniseanea. Romani and Siria put on matching white dresses. The three ladies quickly ran brushes through their hair before exiting their room and stopping a passing guard for instructions. Once they had received said instructions, they made their way swiftly to the lowest floor(Castle Crimea had no dungeons; they had a prison town next to the sea), where the meal was just beginning with Elincia, Ike, the Royal Guard, Elincia's retainers, and all other persons of importance at the far end of the table. Very near the close end were three empty chairs. Siria, Saimana, and Romani took the hint and stood behind their seats, waiting for the Queen to say something like all the others.

"My friends," Elincia began. "Please seat yourselves. I have guests I would like to introduce. They will be staying with us for quite some time. Siria, Saimana, Romani, please stay standing."

All complied. Elincia gestured to the three. "Please introduce yourselves, for it would not do for us to not know your names." After that, she seated herself.

Saimana spoke first. "I am Saimana Norenian. I come from the land of Malin. I entrust myself to your care; please take care of me."

She bowed and seated herself among polite applause. Siria was next.

"I am Siria Avalon. I hail from the land of Hyrule. I entrust myself to your care; please take care of me."

She, too, bowed and seated herself. This left Romani solely standing. The farm girl was very nervous, and inside, was beating her head against a wall, screaming, _"Say something, stupid! Come on!"_

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Siria saw her sister's plight, and was about to open her mouth to save her when the words Romani was supposed to speak left her mouth so smoothly and silkily, it would seem she had been performing a speech.

"I am Romani Tahksa. I hail from the land of Hyrule. I entrust myself to your care; please take care of me."

She bowed and seated herself.

Elincia stood and nodded at her three guests. Then she looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes in a praying manner.

"We ask the Gods and Goddesses that watch over us to bless this meal and all who eat it."

Thus, the meal began.

XxxX

Romani was in heaven. The only time she'd had better food than this… actually, she'd never had better food than what she was eating currently. It was so amazing she almost forgot all table manners she'd ever been taught, until Siria kicked her, whispering, "Make a good impression!" Fiercely under her breath. After that, she ate with some semblance of dignity, not like a wild animal.

Siria sighed. _"Geez…!" _What a handful her polar opposite of a sister was. _"Grow up already…!"_

Saimana watched the two carefully. Siria was rather rough on the subject of royal mannerisms, and Romani herself had absolutely no idea what was okay and _not okay_, but both of them seemed to be doing rather well so far. She accredited Siria's almost perfect manners to the fact not only had Linika certainly taught her some things about royalty, but the young woman was very observant when responsibility or dignity so required. Thus, she caught on quickly from the other people around the massive wooden dining table.

It had been a long time since she ate in a dining hall, Saimana observed. In Hyrule, she had always avoided such at the castle, even going so far as to catch her own food on most days, being a very skilled archer. It was very nostalgic to the silver-haired woman. The last time she had eaten like this…

XxXx

_The sound of joyous laughter rang about the dining hall of Shanaksa Castle, the capital of Malin. At the head of the table sat four people, two men, one young, one old, a young woman, and a fifteen year old girl. They were, respectively, Oriton Norenian, the Prince of Malin, Maor Norenian, the King, Ivinia Norenian, the Princess, and Saimana Norenian, the other Princess. They all bore the family's trademark of pale skin and red eyes. However, their hair color differed very greatly, Oriton's being black, Maor being in the grey, balding stage, Ivinia's emerald green, and Saimana's as silver her mother's, the Goddess of Fate herself._

_They were having naught less than a grand, merry feast. Oriton, Maor, and Ivinia were thoroughly enjoying themselves. However, Saimana's countenance told of a very sullen Princess. She did not want to attend this feast. Her mother, the Goddess of Fate, had gifted her with the ability of foresight. She had had a vision, a vision in which a voice came to her, telling her if she attended this very feast, someone dear to her would lose their life. However, her father had insisted on her coming, saying a princess must represent her country._

"_Saimana, it is the summer solstice feast! If you are not in attendance for such an important event, our enemies should suspect you are ill or dead; therein is another weakness for them to exploit and call out against us," he had said._

_Saimana had no choice; she attended, and moreover caused her own present mood. It was unfair, she reasoned, that she should have to attend anyway; she was only two years from maturity in Malin customs. If only her father had believed her like her brother and sister had; he had __never__ shown the slightest belief in her ability. He called it foolishness._

_And when she heard the sound of breaking glass, she knew this was the night he would be proven wrong._

_Seconds later, a knife was held to her neck. She was shocked. She was not supposed to be the one to die. That was not as the vision told her._

_She heard the assassin issue the usual, "Don't move or she dies!"_

_However, one person __did__ move, and blindingly fast for his age at that._

_Maor struck at the assassin with the sheathed sword he had at his side at all times. However, the instant he swung, he was doomed to fail as Saimana's captor skillfully evaded while keeping a hand on her, planting a knife smoothly between his ribs._

_Instantly, Maor fell dead to the table._

_And instantly after that, the dining hall exploded with the force like that of a gale from a spell Saimana had cast in her rage. The assassin fell, dead, and hundreds of plates, glasses and silverware clattered and smashed against the floor. Confused guests screamed and ran. Servants and soldiers scurried everywhere… There was screaming and shouting…_

_Not five days later, she departed from Malin, leaving her sister and brother to cope with their father's death. She had had a vision telling her to go to the land of Hyrule, where she would meet her destiny. Angry at the Gods and Goddesses for taking her father, at first she had refused to accept this, until a gentle voice whispered in her ear on the wind, "Do you really want to tempt Fate once more, Saimana?"_

_Why...! She most certainly did!_

_Nonetheless, she began the long journey to Hyrule…_

xXxX

Saimana frowned, wishing she hadn't remembered that particular memory. Her heart ached terribly. How were Oriton and Ivinia? How was the rest of Malin? She pushed these troubling thoughts to the far back of her mind. She need not observe such thinkings while enjoying something as simple as a meal. Siria, next to her, leaned over and lightly blew on her zoned-out fiancée's ear. Immediately, Saimana sprung back to life, flushing a deep red. "S-Siria!" She exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her chair.

"You looked out of it, so I thought I'd help," Siria murmured. She smiled at her future wife. Saimana smiled back with gratitude.

"Thank you, Siria," she whispered. With that, they continued eating. Romani was engaged in a deep conversation with one of the Royal Knights, who was female and had short, pink hair. Siria titled her ear towards the conversation. She soon lost interest; leave it to Romani to start a conversation with a stranger about food, of all things! It was quite annoying, yet also amusing to Siria.

Suddenly, the curl of hair on Romani's head shot straight up, forming an exclamation point above her head. "No way!" She exclaimed. The pink-haired knight nodded.

"It's true. I've never tried it; I do not have a stomach for sour things."

Romani's curl formed a question mark. "Sour? Curry's not sour, it's spicy! It's super-duper-extra-mega good! Especially chicken curry!"

Siria shook her head and sighed to herself. There was no hope for her sister, it seemed.

Soon after, Elincia rose and announced, "The meal has ended. I hope you enjoyed it thoroughly, my friends."

Almost instantly, everyone disappeared from the table and the servants began cleaning. Siria and her companions were left, blinking in surprise at the nigh to empty room. Besides the kitchen staff, only Elincia and Ike remained. At the far end of the table, Ike laughed. "It would seem that you're surprised with the speed with which we do things. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"Yes," Elincia agreed. "It takes some getting used to, but I'm sure you will be quite comfortable in time."

"I see," Romani responded. "Thank you for the meal."

The threesome rose and exited the dining hall, and since the servants had finished cleaning with blinding speed, that left only Ike and Elincia. They looked at each other for a moment, then at the hallway through which their new friends had left. Elincia smiled. "I should think that you will train those three well, Sir Ike."

"Of course, My Queen. They would seem to be the diligent, hardworking type, don't you agree?"

"I do. This will indeed prove interesting for all of us."

XxxX

Siria, Saimana, and Romani were jolted awake by a loud hammering on the bedroom door.

"It's time for your training to begin," Ike's voice told them. Siria glanced out the window. It was still dark outside.

"But it's so early," she protested.

"Yes and you'll wake up like this every day, so get used to it. If you don't get up, I won't train you. I want to see you outside the entrance hall in half an hour!"

His footsteps retreated. Groggily, the three began to pull themselves together, getting dressed slowly and readying themselves for what would seem to be a day of harsh training.

XxxX

The three joined Ike at the appointed spot, two minutes early. He was waiting patiently with his sword at his side.

"I suppose it's worth mentioning I don't need to be trained," Saimana told him. Ike raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Why should I believe you? How do I know you're not bluffing to get out of training?" Ike questioned.

"Because I said so," Saimana responded lightly and simply.

"Oh, please. You'll have to try harder than that, fair one." Ike laughed.

"Then I shall. Let us spar. The first to disarm their opponent is the victor. If I lose, I will train. If I win, however, I will sit on the sidelines and watch you train them," Saimana said.

"I accept. Where is your weapon?"

Saimana unclasped the rose hairpin at the corner of her brow. It lengthened and turned into a thin sword with a blade that seemed to be made of silver. Siria and Romani watched in stunned fascination as she gracefully twirled it in her hand, then pointed it at Ike.

"Prepare yourself, Sir Ike."

"I should be telling you the same thing, fair lady," Ike responded confidently. He hefted his own sword easily, which was large and gold-colored. It seemed to glow slightly.

Soldiers ran out from the castle in alarm to see what was going on as the sound of swords clashing rang out through the thick morning mist. Later, the mist had cleared, and the two were still fighting. Neither showed any sign of weariness; it would seem their wells of stamina were inexhaustible. It was certainly amazing to watch the different fighting styles. Ike's was relying on size and strength. Saimana's was more reserved, relying more on wit, and Siria suddenly remembered that the country of Malin was known not only for having an amazing military, they also kept a small force of about four hundred ninja that went through excessively hard training. Was it possible that Saimana had gone through such training?

It certainly seemed so; her moves were not quite an assassin's, but nor were they that of a warrior or soldier. Rather, it seemed she was somewhere in between.

Siria observed her movements carefully. She herself fought like a common soldier. It was nothing special, but it had worked so far.

Suddenly, Saimana twisted away from a swing Ike had made at her and brought her own blade down on the hilt of his, twisting and making him drop it. If he hadn't, he most certainly would have lost a hand.

Ike was almost shocked to silence. This woman had more to her than her gentle appearance betrayed. She had, without a doubt, a level of skill that equaled even his own. It astounded him that one so much younger than himself could do this.

Now it was time to train Siria and Romani.

XxxX

And train them he did.

"Don't you think this is perhaps a bit overboard, Sir Ike?" Siria grunted, picking up yet another yoke with five sacks of grain tied to either end. Romani and she had to carry each load from the castle gate, where Ike and a mountain of grain waited, through several courtyards, into the castle, and down to the kitchens…

…Which just so happened to be behind the dining hall…

…Which was at the very back of the castle.

This was Siria's sixth load, and she was starting to think Ike was trying to kill them.

"Not at all, Lady Siria. You require training, and your training can't even begin until I decide you have built up enough strength to endure it."

Siria sighed. If something was hard enough that she of all people complained about it, the task must be insane. But if that was what it took…

She sighed again, knowing she could only look forward to more nigh-to-impossible tasks. Of this she had been notified by Queen Elincia as she passed through one of the courtyards of the castle on her first trip.

"It has been quite a while since Ike has had students under him. They all had to do the same things you do. Ike has always been known to be a very strict and demanding teacher. He shows no favor towards students, and burdens them with hard tasks because he knows it will help them, if not the next day when they are aching, or a week after that, but for all their lives. It really is only because he cares," she had said.

"But why not just start training immediately?" Siria questioned. Elincia smiled.

"If you did that, you would certainly give up after the first day. Ike does not focus on sword techniques or position of the sword or anything of the like. He reverts training to the most basic instincts of the human nature; kill or be killed. He forces the students to learn themselves what works and does not work, making them each stick to their own style of fighting. In this way, it is more like facing a real enemy than training."

Siria continued walking, the burden of the yoke weighing heavily on her back. It would seem the real training was a long time coming.

Somehow, from what Elincia had said, she did not anticipate it.

XxxX

"Oi, wake up, Kana," a quiet voice urged him.

Kana Thurane groggily opened his brown eyes and sat up in his very uncomfortable cot.

He was fourteen, a prisoner at sea, taken by pirates when the ship he had previously been on was overtaken. He had long, shaggy brown hair, and brownish-black irises that seemed almost lifeless after six months as a prisoner. His whole body constantly ached, and he had lost a lot of strength from being beaten regularly. He had once been an adventurous young sailor aboard a ship bound for Ronisia, a country to the far north that was called the land of priests and light. Now, he was a weak and sickly boy with scars that ran all across his chest. He stank, his clothes stank, the pirate crew stank, everything stank. It smelled so horrible that the few times he had managed to eat the disgusting substance the pirates gave him as food, he had puked it up not from the taste(and that wasn't that good either), but from the smell all about him.

He stared the pirate dully in the face, and his brow furrowed. He knew this one. She was the only good-looking and good-smelling thing aboard the bucket of bilge he was imprisoned on. Yes, it was a she. She had short, brown hair, green eyes, and a small figure. She was the only one who had ever been kind to him in six months. Her name was Sora, and when nobody was looking, at night, she would sneak out of her quarters and come talk to him, bringing him a few breadcrusts she managed to steal from the galley.

Sora didn't really seem to be the pirating type; she just boarded their ship one day and joined them, simply by climbing up and threatening to tear their sails with her dagger if she couldn't join(they had no extras).

"Kana," Sora hissed to get his attention, as he was staring at her, lost in thought.

"What?" He whispered back.

Sora took a cautious look around. "We spotted land today. It's not that far off, maybe a mile. I'm getting you out."

His hope rose significantly. "Are we really…?"

"Yes. Get up, and let's go," she told him, as she carefully unlocked the cell door. It slid open silently. Kana struggled to his feet.

The going was extremely slow, as Kana had to use Sora for support. They hobbled their way across the deck, towards the small rowboat suspended by ropes over the water. Not surprisingly, soon an alarm was raised by a watcher from the crow's nest. They were backed up to the railing, surrounded by pirates. Sora took out her dagger.

"What are you waiting for, fool? Get in the boat!" She told him. He shook his head weakly.

"But what about…"

"GO, DAMMIT!" She shoved him in the boat with so much force that his weak body exploded with pain, rendering him almost unconscious. She cut the ropes, and was about to jump in, already halfway over the railing when a hand caught her wrist.

"Oh, no you don't, little beauty." The captain laughed. She was spun around to face him. A cutlass was held to her neck.

"Where do you think you're goin', girl?" The captain smiled wickedly. She stared him straight in the eyes.

"You know, I thought there was somethin' strange about a lass like you becomin' a pirate." He said, his rancid breath blasting into her face and making her choke. "You know what's gonna happen now, don'cha, lass?"

"Death." One of the crew supplied.

The captain shook his head, still grinning evilly. "Nah, a girl this cute? I bet she's still an innocent lass. 'Tis the first woman we've seen in months, men! We have to make her feel good, she is a lady after all…"

XxxX

When Kana awoke, he couldn't even open his eyes, his lids were so heavy. He heard voices, but couldn't understand what they were saying; they were talking fast and the words all ran together. His nose smelled something akin to lavender. Something cold was poured down his throat. In shock, he realized it was pure water. Clean.

As he swallowed, the voices spoke again, probably notification that he was awake. He managed to open his eyes long enough to comprehend a few blurry shapes moving back and forth. Then, he closed them again and fell asleep.

XxxX

The next time he came back to consciousness, he could open his eyes easily. He was in a room where everything seemed to be white; the bed, the walls, the dresser. A balcony allowed a generous amount of sunlight to stream into the room. He sat up slowly, feeling a slight twinge of pain. The room was empty besides him. He wondered where the people from before had gone.

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a beautiful woman, the likes of which he had only seen once before. She had long, silver hair, red eyes that betrayed softness and warmth, and amazing ivory skin. She was wearing a simple red dress that fit her very well, making her appear even more beautiful. The woman truly was the spawn of a Goddess.

He was more right than he knew.

XxxX

Saimana stepped into the room, seating herself in a chair beside the bed. His eyes followed her the whole way. She smiled gently. "Hello." She tried in Tellian. The boy tilted his head slightly in confusion, like he didn't understand her.

"What?" He asked in Telminian. Saimana immediately understood that he spoke her native tongue and was not from the area.

"Good morning," she greeted in Telminian. He stared a moment, obviously suspicious, before replying slowly.

"G-good morning. Who are you?"

Saimana smiled. "My name is Saimana Norenian, but you may call me Saimana... May I ask who you are?"

"I am Kana Thurane," he replied shortly.

"And where do you come from, Kana? I am from the county of Malin." Saimana questioned.

"Arkonia," he replied. Her eyes narrowed in mistrust immediately.

"You mean the Arkon Empire, do you not?" She asked, her tone now cool and threatening.

"I refuse to call what was once a beautiful country anything other than its given name. I do as my parents did," Kana said angrily. Saimana calmed slightly.

"It sounds like you come from a wise family. How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"And how did you happen to wash up on the shores of Crimea?"

Instantly, an image of Sora flashed through Kana's mind. He was almost driven to panic, but related his entire tale while Saimana listened patiently. When he reached the part about Sora, Saimana took on a worried expression.

"Oh, dear. I hope she's all right," she said quietly.

Kana stared at his hands in silence, feeling betrayed. Those very hands could have saved Sora, pulled her away before the pirates could capture her and… _defile_ her pure, innocent body. Another mistake he'd made in his pitiful excuse of a life. He genuinely started wondering if there was any meaning to his existence.

"Kana."

Kana looked up. "Yes?"

Saimana twirled a strand of hair idly around her finger. "I can sense a great seal on you, along with a lot of magical power. Do you know of this?"

"No," Kana lied. "How powerful is the seal?"

"Very. Only an alchemist could remove it."

Kana inwardly gave a whistle. _"They weren't kidding when they said it'll only come off when the time is right."_

He leaned forward, wincing slightly. "So what's your story? Why are you so impossibly far from Malin?"

She sighed, then began relating her story, right from the start. A few hours later, there was a gentle knock on the door, and a maid entered with a tray of food. She set it on the nightstand, then excused herself.

When he had finished eating, Kana commented, "That's quite a story."

Saimana nodded. "Though lately, I've been receiving dreams that tell me we may not be able to return to Hyrule."

"I can add fact to intuition," Kana said. "Arkonia might be extending its reach north. Hyrule is northeast of Arkonia, and the path between the two crosses the Laramoa Desert, the only thing blocking Arkonia from advancing. Sure, three people can make it, but an army of over five hundred thousand men, complete with several thousand horses, all in full armor… there's no way in hell they'd live through that. But if they went around, through Atonu, they could avoid the desert all together. With that obstacle out of the way, Arkon could further their influence by encircling both sides of the desert, therefore cutting off the northern part of the continent from the rest of the world other than those who travel by boat."

Saimana nodded. "Once they did that, it would be over, right?"

"Yeah. Only a few countries would be left to oppose Arkonia. Malin would definitely stay on the defensive, the people of Natoredom have no reason to leave their island, and Malsia and Shonon both have strong militaries, but Arkonia would crack the shell eventually. This leaves precious few others."

"What about the people of Talis?"

He scowled. "When did Talis start caring about anything ever? They're just like Natoredom."

"Oh my, doom and gloom. Shall we discuss funeral arrangements while you two are being depressing?" Siria walked in, smiling.

"I take it she is the one you mentioned?" Kana questioned. Saimana nodded.

"Yes. Siria, this is Kana Thurane. He comes from the former country of Arkonia."

Instantly, Siria's gaze hardened. Kana smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not here on my former country's behalf."

Siria relaxed somewhat. She walked over and sat on Saimana's lap, the position being rather awkward, owing to the fact that even though they were both fully grown young women, Siria was just a little taller. "Ike's being tougher than usual, Mana…" She whined childishly, yet cutely. "…Can you go beat some sense into him?"

Saimana sighed, while running a hand through her fiancé's red hair. "…Oh, Siria, what am I going to do with you?"

"_Care for me, love me…" _Siria leaned back and whispered into Saimana's ear seductively, so just her future wife could hear. Nonetheless, Kana raised an eyebrow. He was an expert lip reader after learning the ways of the assassin to survive a… less than favorable childhood.

"If you want to do _that_… I suggest you do it somewhere else," Kana said to them calmly. The two immediately broke apart, resulting in Siria landing on the floor. Kana looked down at her, his trained eyes seeing more than most people.

"You are the Hero of Time." It was a statement, not a question. "You carry the symbol of the Triforce of Courage upon your hands, which not even you can see yet; you know your destiny, but inner denial prevents you from accepting it."

"What are you talking about? I'm no one special," Siria lied, faking confusion. Kana gave a short laugh.

"My eyes have been trained. You would have to be a very powerful mage, or a very, _very_ good liar to get something past me, My Lady."

"Riri? Riri?" A voice called from the hallway.

Siria sighed. "It seems Romani has come looking for me. I must return to my training. Goodbye, Kana."

"Goodbye," he responded as she left, closing the door behind herself.

The room lapsed into a comfortable silence. Kana was gazing out the window, Saimana doing the same while trying to catch sight of whatever it was that had caught his attentions. Finally, after a long while of this, Saimana gave up and asked, "What is it?"

Kana shook himself lightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"What are you looking at?"

He tilted his head. "Nothing in particular. I was just musing."

"About what?"

"Things such as if I will ever be able to go back home."

Saimana smiled comfortingly. "Do not worry. I am sure you will."

"Thank you," he said. "I am going to go back to sleep now."

"Mmm. I'll be leaving then." Saimana stood. He nodded.

"Thank you for sharing your story with me."

"My pleasure. Farewell."

"Farewell."

XxxX

That night, long after everyone else had gone to sleep, Kana stayed wide awake. He stood out on his balcony in his nightclothes, gazing out over the Crimean landscape. And it may have only been for but a second, but a flicker of nostalgia crossed his features.

After that, he turned and went to bed.

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER II

END

XXXXX

**A\N:**

**IT'S FINALLY. FRIGGIN'. DONE.**

**So how'd you guys like the second chapter of Forever, My Love? This one took a bit of motivation to write, and a bit more time than the first, but as you can see, it's substantially longer.**

**Also see; I can speak Japanese.**

**Toyota**

**Godzilla**

**Hatsune Miku**

**YAY FOR RACIST JOKES! Even though that really wasn't that racist… but whatever.**

**I really don't want to talk you guys right now(who would, with that pissed off look on your face?), so bye!**


	3. Chapter III

Forever, My Love

Chapter III

**A/N; My infinite apologies for taking so long! My computer literally got smashed! I'm so sorry!**

**This chapter is largely about a new character, Vaati Anatogan, so Kana, Saimana, Siria, Romani, and everybody else don't appear all too much, but they're still there, don't worry.**

XxxX

In an area of a large desert, a small circle about 20 feet wide with strange rock formations and standing stones harbored a young woman in its shade. Her once-beautiful dark purple hair was ratty and stood up in places. Her red eyes, devoid of emotion (except for desperation), scanned the sandy landscape for any sign of water… or, at least, the smallest form of life. If she had not been so close to complete dehydration, she might have noticed that the stones and rock formations were actually pillars and _sarenghi_ – ancient Telminian ritual stones that surrounded an area of great importance.

She slid down the strangely flat stone she was leaning against and slumped forward, onto the burning desert sand. She inwardly laughed at herself – how pathetic she was. And foolish. Incredibly foolish, she had been, to think she could cross this insanely dry wasteland. She crawled forward onto the strange, dais-like flat stone in the center of the circle. She was going to die, so why die slowly?

Maybe the sun would speed her death with its unbearably hot rays.

Suddenly, the stone moved under her, and she fell down, into blackness. The last thought she had was that the sun… it was shrinking…

XxxX

Siria rolled off the edge of the bed, awakening with a dull _thud _as she hit the floor.

"Ow…" She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head.

The memory of her dream soon shook her wide awake. She had experienced dreams like this before, dreams so real they had to mean something. But she never did figure out just _what _it meant, due to a certain blue-haired warrior pounding on their door so hard she was surprised it didn't wake the rest of the castle.

"FOR THE SEVENTH TIME, GET UP, YOU SLACKERS!" Ike shouted.

_Oh no,_ Siria realized, looking at the sky, _the sun's rising! We're late!_

"COMING!" She shouted to Ike.

"Hey," She shook Romani, who was still sleeping heavily. "Wake up, lazy ass! We've got training!"

Romani muttered something in her sleep and rolled over.

Siria shook harder.

Romani stirred slightly.

Siria slowly lowered herself down, to her sleeping sister's ear. She took a deep breath, and then shouted, "THE CUCCOOS ARE ESCAPING!"

Romani's eyes flew open, she sat up quickly, and she hit the nearest object with the back of her hand. That object just so happened to be Siria's face.

And that was how Siria's day began.

XxxX

Kana woke up to a gentle hand knocking on his door. He opened his eyes and called, "Come in."

The door opened and Saimana stepped in. She took her seat beside Kana's bed quietly. They sat in somewhat awkward silence, until Saimana spoke.

"Kana," she began quietly. "How old are you?"

He looked at her, surprised by the question. "What do you mean?" His eyebrows knit.

"Well…" She spoke calmly. "The Arkon Empire hasn't been known as Arkonia in over twenty-five years – before _I_ was even thought of. You seem at least fifteen, but you must be older if you call it by its true name. So," she paused. "How old are you, Kana?"

He sighed, and opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He closed his eyes and laid back. It seemed as if he had chosen not to answer the question.

"Kan…" Saimana started, but was interrupted by the boy.

"Give me a moment. I'm thinking," he said, without opening his eyes. So she sat patiently, waiting for an answer. It took a minute or two, but he finally spoke.

"I am older than I look. It would be best if we leave it at that," he told her.

XxxX

_Vaati's first notion was that she was lying on something soft. A soft scent of something sweet and comforting reached her nose, making her revel in the bliss around her. She didn't bother to open her eyes, knowing it would not help her see; she could feel that it was dark wherever she was, rather than see._

_"Vaati…" A soft voice whispered in her ear. "Wake up, my daughter… You cannot stay here…"_

XxxX

Vaati jerked out of her sleep, her eyes immediately opening. She could see a light far above her, shining faintly… or was it bright, and she was just too hurt to see it right?

As she slowly regained full consciousness, she realized that the light above was moonlight. She faintly remembered falling down when she had collapsed on the stone above.

She could see quite a distance in front of her; the hole in the ceiling was rather large. The floor was smooth – she thought it must have at one time been polished – marble, covered in ancient, indiscernible symbols. The room she was in was big, but she couldn't tell how big – moonlight only shone so far, after all. Marble pillars held up the ceiling far above, covered in the same symbols.

The air in the place smelled musty and old, but not dry. This meant…

Water.

The very thought of it reminded her of how painfully dry her throat was, how much it hurt to take a breath, how much her tongue was swollen, aching for _just one drop_…

She could hear it flowing in a distant place, not in a trickle, but a rush. If she could just make it to wherever it was…

The room echoed because of the marble floor, and the sound seemed to come from every direction.

In every sense of the word, this was hell to her.

XxxX

"We were a bit late – just a little," Romani grumbled, grabbing a small crack in the cliff face. She pulled herself upward. "So he makes us climb a NAYRU-DAMNED CLIFF?!"

Beside her, Siria pulled herself up on to a small ledge. She collapsed on it and held on tightly like it was her lifeline – which, considering how far they were from the ground, it pretty much was.

For the past three hours, the two sisters had been making their way up a huge cliffside at the edge of the mountain range that was the border between Gallia and Crimea. The same mountain range that they crossed through to get to Crimea, in fact. They had been forbidden to eat breakfast, and they wouldn't get food until they reached the top, where Ike was waiting. Their ascent was extremely hard and time-consuming.

Siria regretted never studying the schools of magic. Maybe, if she had, she could've summoned them some food or water.

_"Thank the goddesses our training clothes are light…"_

XxxX

Vaati slowly, agonizingly stumbled forward on the marble floor. She used the pillars that scattered the room for occasional respite from her excruciatingly painful walk. She moved forward at a very slow pace, sometimes stumbling and falling to the ground, coming close to giving up. However, she always got back up and continued her journey through her own personal hell.

It seemed like years when she finally came upon a pool that was built into the wall. Water flowed out of a hole shaped like the roots of a tree that seemed to stretch its roots around the pool, its marble branches patterned in a way that made them seem to sway if one moved while looking at them. Somehow, after the hundreds (or more) of years of disuse, water still flowed out of it. Vaati did not ponder this; she merely fell forward onto the edge of the shoulder-deep pool, dipping her head into it and sucking greedily.

It seemed like she could never get enough of the life-giving liquid, but finally she remembered that she also had to breathe. She pulled her head out, feeling some strength returning to her already. With that, she rolled away from the edge of the pool and promptly passed out.

XxxX

When Vaati finally opened her eyes again, it was daylight again. She didn't know how much time had passed since she went to sleep, but she felt extremely refreshed, more than she had in a long time. She took another drink from the pool before standing up and scanning her surroundings.

It seemed she was in a long hall of some sort. There was another pool of water at the other end, about fifty feet away.

It seemed like she had fallen in the exact center of the room, where there was a large pile of rubble. It came to her mind that it was unthinkable that anyone could survive that; the ceiling was about sixty feet high. And that twenty-five feet she had had to cross had felt like a mile.

However, her mind was drawn to another trouble. Her stomach growled, and she remembered that she needed more than water to live. Her traveling rations must've been somewhere in the pile of rubble, and in her current state, there was no way she could shift even the smallest rock, which probably weighed a ton. She sat at the edge of the pool for a while, dipping her feet in and pondering what to do.

This was the first time in her life she had ever wanted a rat to appear.

As the sun slowly set, she took another drink, and then went to sleep again.

XxxX

By late night, Romani and Siria had finally managed to pull themselves over the edge of the cliff. They had then returned to the castle and feasted on the leftovers of dinner that had generously been left out for them. They had been so tired that they staggered back to their room, not bothering to change into their nightclothes, and were asleep before their heads hit the pillows.

Saimana had observed how tired Siria was, and decided against asking about their day. She responded to Siria's mumbled, "Goodnight," and then got up from bed.

She stepped out on the balcony, staring out over the land in the nighttime. Lately – it was happening right now, even – Siria had been mumbling and moving around in her sleep, like her dreams were troubled.

She wondered what her fiancée could possibly be dreaming about.

XxxX

Vaati regained consciousness for the second time. It was sunset when she opened her eyes. She guessed she must've slept roughly twenty-four hours. The ache in her stomach was even larger now, she reflected, as she tried to stand up, but became dizzy. She lost her balance and fell backward, into the pool.

She emerged after about twenty panicked seconds, weakly grabbing the edge, before realizing that she was touching the bottom.

The water in the pool only came up to her shoulders.

XxxX

A day later, Vaati had managed to catch quite a few rats out in the passageway that exited the room. She barely found enough strength to use her magic to start a fire and cook them.

She ate ravenously, never realizing anything could taste so good. She actually caught enough to fill the gaping hole in her stomach.

She never observed that, for some reason, the rats and bugs that crawled in the passageway never came into the room.

XxxX

In a week, Vaati had fully regained her strength. When she woke up in the morning, she caught her breakfast, cooked it, and then drank from the pool again. As she ate, the thought struck her; she must be filthy.

She crossed the hall over to the other pool, taking her clothes off when she got there. She got in the pool and immediately, she felt the first layer of dirt slide off her. By the time she was finished bathing, the water was black. She made an important discovery about the pools, though; there were two depression tiles on either side of the pool. One drained the pool, through a hidden hole, she presumed, and the other filled it. She drained it, and then filled it again.

It must've been filtered; the water that filled the empty hole was as perfectly clear as it had been before she took her bath.

She then proceeded to wash her clothes, feeling slightly subconscious about being naked out of the water.

_"Oh, stop it," _she told herself. _"Who's going to see? The rats?"_

When she was finished, she remembered that there had been a comb in her traveling bag.

She searched through the pile of rubble, having to use magic quite a bit to shift the heavier stones. She soon found her bag.

She seized it from the pile and looked inside.

There were no rations in the bag anymore – she had eaten them, she remembered, before she found the circle of stones. There was, however, a comb, an extra set of clothes, a bedroll (thank the gods and goddesses!), and a knife (not that it was essential – she had a sword at her side, which she somehow managed to keep during the fall – but it would help with hunting and cooking).

Then she remembered that she was still naked.

She grabbed her extra clothes from the bag, dressing immediately. She left her other clothes to dry in the sun, and then began combing her hair.

It took a while, but when her hair felt nice and straight again, she put the comb back in the bag.

Now, for the first time since the fall, she had nothing to do.

She had no water to find, no food to catch (she had started a pile), and no clothes or body to clean. She waited for her other clothes to dry, and then put them in the bag and laid out the bedroll. The sun was already setting when she ate her dinner. She took her knife carefully out of the bag and set it down a few feet away from her, then positioned her bag to use as a pillow. She resolved to explore a bit the next day, and then went to sleep.

XxxX

When Vaati woke up, she went through her ritual of eating, drinking, bathing, combing, and washing her clothes before she put everything in her bag.

If she got lost, it was over, so she cast a spell that laid a glowing line down on the floor wherever she went. It never faded until she dispelled it, it required almost no energy to cast, and she didn't have to maintain it at all; it was there until she thought otherwise, no mana expenditure required. Musing on how glad she was to have learned that particular spell, she set her bag in the middle of the room, and then started out.

It was obviously dark in the hallway, so she had to cast a fire spell as well on an ancient torch. She wasn't sure it would even hold together, or if it would crumble into dust, but it worked fine. There was a choice of which direction to go, and she went right.

The passage only went about forty feet before she ran into a dead end.

So she turned around and went the other way.

The passage turned a lot, she observed. It would seem she was in a large ruin. However, it wasn't more than half an hour before it opened up into another hall like the one she currently had been using. She lit all the torches in the room and observed it was almost exactly like the one she used. Instead of twin pools, though, there were twin thrones. A skeleton sat upon either one.

Vaati had never been one to fear the dead, so she approached the one on the right. It held an impossibly well-preserved blade in its bony hands. It was like nothing Vaati had ever seen before. The hilt was made out of some metal she had never seen before, as was the blade. However, the blade was pure white, while the hilt was red.

Wary of any traps, she jerked the sword from the skeleton's hands, which held on surprisingly tightly.

"Sorry," she whispered to the empty skull. "I mean no disrespect."

She turned around and went to observe the other skeleton.

Instead of holding a sword, this skeleton simply sat, a crown made of the same red metal as the hilt of the sword upon the skull.

Vaati left the crown, and turned towards the other exit to the hall, but stopped midway.

The throne where the skeleton with the sword had sat was empty. But what was behind it was what concerned her.

There were symbols written on the wall above it that had not been there before. They weren't recognizable, but that wasn't important.

What was important was that they were written in dried blood.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder.

A very bony hand. It turned her, and she nearly screamed.

Both skeletons were standing there, looking at her. She froze…

And waited.

Nothing happened. The skeletons merely stood, as if they meant to tell her something.

When she finally calmed down and accepted the fact that there were two actual skeletons in front of her, they seemed to sense it. The one with the crown beckoned at her, and both started walking towards the other way out of the hall, the one she hadn't come through.

XxxX

They walked and walked, occasionally coming to more halls. Sometimes, other skeletons joined them. It was unnerving for Vaati, but they didn't mean her any harm, it seemed.

It felt like they went on forever, and just when Vaati thought it would never end, she was led into a hall unlike all the others.

It was the entrance hall to a castle.

Lit torches lined either side, doorways branching off on either side. A staircase was at the back of the hall, leading upwards to the left and to the right.

The skeletons split on which way to go on the stairs, so she followed the first two, which chose to go left.

In fact, they were the only ones to go left.

They passed by many, many rooms, finally stopping at two huge wooden doors. Vaati knew by now not to question why it was so perfectly intact. The skeletons pointed at the doors, and she pushed them open.

She expected a large hall, like a throne room or dining hall. Well, it was a hall, that much was true, but it was way different than she thought it would be.

They were underground, so she did not expect moonlight to be coming in through the windows on either side of the hall. A large, strangely glowing wall covered in symbols was at the other end.

The skeletons walked towards it, Vaati following.

They laid their bony right hands on it and waited, looking at her. Vaati supposed she had to do the same.

She laid her right hand on it, and it felt like she immediately was paralyzed. She couldn't move at all.

Pain started coursing through her. It was overwhelming. It hurt to _exist._ She thought she was screaming, but in reality, she never moved.

Dehydration was nothing compared to this…

This went on for about five minutes, but it felt like so much more.

When it was over, she immediately collapsed, breathing heavily. Her eyes slammed shut by themselves, and she passed out.

XxxX

Siria violently jerked awake, sweating. Her eyes scanned the bedroom.

It was her day off, she remembered faintly as she saw the sun was rising. But that was not important.

"Nayru, that was…" She panted heavily, remembering how real the pain had been.

When she calmed, she realized she had had yet another dream about the strange woman in the ruins. She resolved that she had to find out why she was having these dreams.

Saimana was sleeping peacefully beside her, Siria saw. She was somehow undisturbed by Siria's violent awakening.

Siria's thoughts turned from her dreams to her wife as she lay back down.

Was Saimana having the same dreams?

She glanced over at her sister's empty bed.

And what about Romani?

XxxX

Vaati awoke slowly to sunlight on her face. She was lying on the floor in the hall with the glowing wall. She slowly sat up, aching all over. She looked around.

No one was there. The hall was completely empty except for her. She stood up, walking swiftly towards the closed wooden doors. She pushed them open and walked out into the hallway. It was also empty.

And so she went, following her line through the castle, back into the long passageways. All the torches in them were lit, and the skeletons had returned to where they sat. She went on and on, until she reached the first hall she had come through.

The skeletons were there, but they weren't exactly skeletons anymore.

Two people sat on the thrones, looking at her. One was a man, the other a woman. He had brown hair and brown eyes, and she had black hair and green eyes.

They both stood up and walked towards her.

The woman spoke first, in a voice that was beautiful but hoarse, as if it had not been used in ages. Somehow, she knew Vaati's language.

"What have you come here for, young one?" She questioned softly. "How did you find this place?"

Vaati was almost too stunned to respond, but she somehow managed to find her voice.

"I-I was in the desert above, and I found the pillars in the sand. I was dehydrated and tired, so I rested there. I collapsed and crawled onto the center stone… When I woke up, I was down here."

The woman nodded, seemingly satisfied. The man spoke in a somewhat deep voice.

"You said you were in a desert above, correct?" He asked. Vaati nodded slowly.

He turned to the woman, and they conversed in a language Vaati couldn't understand. When they finally finished, they turned back to Vaati.

"My name is Hylia Arinia, and this is my brother, Hylia Aran. You have been extremely fortunate to find this place. What is the welari, young one?"

"I'm sorry, what is a 'welari?'" Vaati asked, confused.

"The... The... What is the word?" Arinia struggled to remember. "Was it... Era?"

"I see. It is the 10th era since the world was created, and it is the 809th year," Vaati replied.

"And how long are your eras?" Arinia inquired.

"Well, they're…" Vaati paused, her brain suddenly seeming to go blank for no particular reason.

"A thousand years long," Vaati recalled.

Arinia smiled, giving a wry laugh. "If that is the case, we have been here for very long indeed, longer than we thought. The last time we spoke to someone, it was the second era."

Vaati was shocked into complete silence. The first two eras were taught to be the worst. They were supposed to be constant war and bloodshed.

In fact, by the third era, humanity was nearly extinct. By then, there were supposedly only five thousand people in the world.

"It seems you were taught about what happened then. You seem shocked," Arinia spoke to her.

"Indeed. I think the last thing I remember before you awoke us was losing my leg and then having a spear stuck through me," Aran recalled. There was no sarcasm; he meant what he was saying.

"How long have you been here?" Arinia asked Vaati. Vaati shook her head.

"I don't know. I apologize for changing the subject, but can we talk in my hall?"

"_Your_ hall?" Arinia laughed. "It seems you might have been here a long time, to think it as such."

Vaati bowed her head. "I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect. It is yours, is it not?"

"Not anymore," Aran responded. "Now, let us go there."

They exited the room and went through the passageway, back into the thankfully well-lit hall where Vaati fell. The sun was just rising.

Vaati's stomach grumbled.

The other two laughed.

"It seems you are hungry," Arinia said, amused. Vaati walked to her small pile of food. It seemed enough for the three of them.

"Would you like some?" She offered them. They accepted, and she spread them out, and then cast a fire spell.

A few minutes later, they were all eating in silence.

"So, our land was cursed to become a desert," Aran observed. "The Sidoans really did hate us."

Vaati stopped mid-bite.

"You fought the Sidoans?" A thought was forming in her mind. If they fought the Sidoans, an ancient country from the first two eras…

"Indeed." Arinia responded.

"Then… your country was… Hyrule?"

"Yes," Aran answered.

Vaati thought this over for a moment. The current country of Hyrule was the northern rival of the Arkon Empire. It was taught that there was another Hyrule came before the current one, but it was lost in the wars. It was supposed to be one of the most powerful and notable countries of the first two eras, and it had long been told of in stories about the wars.

"I can't believe this," Vaati said.

"What is it?" Arinia questioned.

"Hyrule was supposed to be drowned in blood and sand," Vaati whispered. "The people of Hyrule were supposed to be evil."

"Why do you think we have spent the last eight thousand years in skeletal bodies, child? We were hungry, but could not eat. We were thirsty, but could not drink. We gave up, cursed to spend eternity in this prison. When we heard you come down, however, we helped you as much as possible," Arinia told her.

"We mended your broken ribs, hoping that one day, you would regain enough strength to help us," Aran said.

"Why didn't you show yourselves earlier?" Vaati asked.

"We barely had enough of our strength to help you. Truth be told, we thought we would fall apart when we did. We spent a long time pulling back together last time that happened. And when you opened the door to the Resurrection Hall, we were almost gone," Aran stated.

"We cannot thank you enough for opening the door that we could not," Arinia told her. "What is your name, child?"

"Vaati Anatogan," Vaati told them. She finished her last rat, and then wiped her face. She stood up from where they were sitting and walked over to her drinking pool. She kneeled and cupped her hands, taking a few small sips of water. The other two soon also finished and did the same.

"I drink from this pool, and I bathe and wash my clothes in the other," Vaati explained.

"How do you tell the difference?" Aran queried.

"The stones from the hole," Vaati said. "The one on top tilts toward this one. Also, the floor is blackened where I had my first meal." She pointed to the place where she had just cooked the rats.

"I am going to bathe now. Arinia, would you like to join me?" Vaati questioned.

"Yes, very much so," Arinia replied. "But can Aran join as well?"

"It's not up to me. However, Aran, could you please wait until we get in?"

"I will wait."

XxxX

The bath was calming. The trio talked to each other contentedly while they bathed.

"How did you end up in the desert in the first place?" Arinia asked.

Vaati sighed, painful memories coming back to her. "I was fleeing from the country I lived in, Okani. My sisters wanted to come with me, but I wanted them to stay safe, so I sent them to an island called Natoredom."

They let a comfortable silence lapse over them.

XxxX

Siria hadn't had any dreams of the purple-haired woman in over a week. She wondered what happened after she passed out at the glowing wall place. Maybe she died.

She had told Saimana about her dreams after that experience. Her fiancé had listened patiently, but with an increasingly worried expression on her face. When she had finished, Saimana had told her she needed to think for a bit, and went off somewhere to be alone.

Other than that, Siria's schedule continued as normal. Ike worked her and Romani harder every day. It was starting to look like the actual training would be Hell.

She hefted the log in her arms, continuing towards the castle. They were out in a forest, collecting wood for the castle kitchens. However, instead of using a cart and horse like the other workers, Romani and Siria had to carry the wood.

Oh, it looked like training was going to be _worse_ than hell.

XxxX

"Have you thought of how we will leave this place, Vaati?" Arinia asked the purple-haired woman three days after they had met. They had just taken their morning bath; Aran was out in the passages looking for food.

Vaati was wringing out her hair. "No, but thanks for pointing that out. We have to leave this place sometime. Is there a map with the continent in the castle? I think I can figure out how far it is to the edge of the desert."

"There might be; I doubt it has survived this long," Arinia responded.

"Well, the rest of your castle is perfectly intact, so why shouldn't it have? It might…" Vaati paused mid-sentence, stopping her twisting.

"Was there food in the castle when you died?"

"Yes, I think so."

"What if it hasn't aged?" Vaati suggested hopefully.

"That would be nice," Arinia agreed. "May I have the comb, please?"

Vaati handed her the comb.

XxxX

"It was worth a try," Vaati sighed, as they walked out of the kitchens. She turned to the other two.

"Now that we're here, I have to ask you; who were the other skeletons?"

Arinia and Aran cast their eyes downward. "...They were either subjects or family," Arinia murmured sadly. "They cannot enter the Resurrection Hall, so they spend eternity cursed."

"The goddesses knew this when they cursed us," Aran added. "They knew if we were ever saved, we would have to suffer knowing that all people we knew could not be."

"At this point, would it not be a mercy to destroy them?" Vaati asked, tilting her head as she heard the clicking sound that meant skeletons were approaching.

"It cannot be done. They will just reform," Arinia replied, staring sadly at the first skeleton to enter the hall. It wore a silver circlet upon its head.

"Ashini," Arinia whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

The skeleton turned towards them and approached as if it had heard. It stared at them with its empty eye sockets. It was followed by more and more skeletons, until a small group of them were there in front of them, staring at them, seemingly trying to say something.

The first skeleton, the one Arinia called Ashini, pointed at them. Then it pointed at itself. Then up at the staircase leading to the Resurrection Hall.

"I think," Aran began. "You mean that you intend to enter?"

All the skeletons there nodded, clicking as they ascended the staircase and disappeared into the hallway.

Arinia, Aran, and Vaati waited. Nothing happened.

And then they heard it.

And then they _saw_ it.

The castle was burning around them. Blood spattered the floor as people killed each other in the most brutal ways possible. On the stairs, two people that looked like Arinia and Aran fought of waves of enemies by themselves. On a balcony high above the left side of the room, a woman with black hair was thrown down to the floor.

"Ashini!" The Arinia look-alike screamed. She ducked under the heavy swing of an axe. She did a circular kick, knocking her assailant of their feet. She then made her way over to the other woman's still form, turning back to the battle with rage in her eyes.

Suddenly, water burst through the windows on the right side of the room. It quickly began filling the room, making the warring soldiers move to higher levels, as well as Vaati, Aran, and Arinia.

Further and further the water rose, making the foes rise higher and higher, until finally, they were fighting on the roof. Aran, Vaati, and Arinia had now become part of the fray.

The Arinia look-alike had an arrow swiftly pierce her side, before she was thrown from the roof by a wave from the ever rising water. The sky was pouring rain as well.

Vaati was amazed. There was nothing but water for miles. What had happened? And how? Such powerful magic (as magic was the only explanation for the appearance of such vast quantities of water) hadn't been possible for ages!

She was interrupted from her thinking by a sword that swung for her neck. She parried the blow, and then drove her blade through the attacker's chest. She focused her magics, and then sent a powerful blast of wind across the battlefield in front of her, doing little more than staggering the people at the back while violently ripping those in front of her into shreds.

"_Aif! Marisine!" _Someone shouted. That was a spell Vaati knew well. She was thrown from the roof, into the raging waters below.

She dipped and rolled in the roaring sea of water, going under many times and becoming sure a few that she would never come back up. She once thought she heard the monstrous roar of a dragon, before she was plunged down again by a powerful wave.

Not too long ago, she had yearned for water. Now she wished all the water in the world would disappear.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her robes and roughly hauled her out of the water. She was thrown onto the bottom of a small sailboat, gasping for breath.

It was Aran and Arinia. The battle rage on not far away.

"What's happening?!" Vaati shouted over the raging storm.

"We are in a memory! It should fade in a small while!" Aran shouted back, wrestling with the uncooperative ropes that controlled the sail.

"Where are we?!" Vaati screamed, the wind getting louder and louder. Arinia had to almost shout directly in her ear to reply.

"Hyrule! The final battle is being waged!"

Any further conversation was interrupted as the boat was hit by a massive wall of water.

"Vaati! Use magic!" Aran shouted, almost losing one of the ropes that held the sail taut. The boat was gaining an unhealthy heel to the port side.

Vaati stood, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate as the stormy sea pitched beneath the tiny boat.

"_Anakaiji! Juridoa niu karama! Huisonet karama! Lorpisi na sorimea ko!" _She shouted. The water on either side heaved away from the boat, forming a massive funnel of water around them. Just enough wind filled the small boat's sails to propel it forward at a tremendous speed.

Vaati was heaving and sweating in concentration as she held the spell. She felt like she could pass out at any moment. Her knees sank to the floor of the boat as she continued fighting to keep the spell under control.

She continued like that for as long as she could. The purple-haired woman felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion.

A small wave caused the boat to rock slightly, causing Vaati to fall over.

That was it. The mage blacked out in the bottom of the boat. The massive walls of water on either side of the trio crashed down upon them…

XxxX

Vaati awoke lying face down on a forest floor. She rolled over, hearing the sound of a fire crackling.

Forest surrounded her, confusing her. Last she remembered, she was fighting to keep conscious in the bottom of a tiny sailboat. Now she was lying on a leafy forest floor as moonlight shined through the trees, illuminating the ground. A small wind rustled the leaves on the trees.

She sat up.

Aran and Arinia were sitting on either side of the fire, on logs they had found.

"Good evening," Arinia told her softly. Aran was silent.

"Where…?" Vaati's voice trailed off.

"I do not know," Arinia responded. "When the water overtook us, I lost my consciousness."

"We must be in Atonu," Vaati reasoned. "It is the only country with a forest directly bordering the desert."

"The lands have changed since our time, Vaati. Where is this Atonu?" Arinia questioned.

"Atonu is a long, thin country on the eastern edge of the Laramoa Desert. It also borders the Nassyri Ocean, making it the only way to get from the southern part of the continent to the northern part without either circling around to the continent of Inir and taking a dangerous pass through the mountains or crossing the desert directly," Vaati elaborated.

"So which way do you plan to go from here?" Arinia queried.

"I was going to cross the desert and planned to emerge on the southeastern edge of Inir, from which it is easy to cut through onto the continent of Tellius. I had a dream that told me my destiny awaits in a country there called Crimea."

"Would it be fine if we traveled with you?"

"I would love to have company." Vaati smiled, but her face dropped and she sighed.

"Unfortunately, now we have no other option but to circle around through several countries on the northern part of the continent. From there, we will take the mountain pass."

"What is the problem with that? You act as if it would bother you to pass through those countries."

"People in the north don't generally like people from countries in the south. It was fine before the Arkon Empire took over, but now, the north has deemed all southerners except the Malinians evil."

"So you would not be welcome."

"No, I wouldn't." Vaati sighed again, lying down on the ground.

"Could you not sail to Crimea?" Aran spoke quietly.

Vaati looked at him through skeptical eyes. "It would be nearly impossible to find a sailor willing to sail all the way around the Nassyri Ocean to Crimea, or at least right now. It is known to have frequent and violent storms in the spring and summer. In addition, the Northern Sea is rocky and dangerous."

"So sail south."

"Then it would take at least two and a half years to get to Crimea. There is also the worry of the pirates that frequently attack ships sailing in the Black Sea."

"I would rather live and get captured by pirates than be smashed against a rock."

Vaati's eyes narrowed. "That is because you are a man. I am a woman, and I value my body's purity greatly. We _are_ traveling through Inir. It will take two years at most if we go through the mountains."

She lay down and went back to sleep. The matter was finished being discussed.

XxxX

Saimana leaned her head against Siria's shoulder. They were standing on the balcony connected to their room, watching the sun set. Romani was again absent for the night.

Siria instinctively pulled her lover closer to herself. She placed a gentle kiss on the other woman's forehead.

"I love you, Mana," she murmured, inhaling her wife's sweet scent of lilac and honey.

"I love you, too, Siria," Saimana replied softly, sighing in contentment. She yawned tiredly.

"Hey," Siria pulled her wife tenderly towards the bed. "Let's go to sleep. We've both had a long day."

Saimana nodded, closing the balcony doors. She walked to the dresser and pulled her nightclothes out of it, stripping, and then changing into them. Siria did the same.

They lay down together, both drifting off to peaceful sleep within minutes.

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER III

END

XXXXX

**A/N; Bet you guys thought I was done with this story, huh?**

**There is no way I would ever abandon a story that has such potential in front of it. I am not that kind of person. I hate people who DO that.**

**For Deviantart readers:**

**Honestly, guys, you've read my journal. You know about my computer being smashed. All I ask is your forgiveness for the lengthy wait. I hate putting you on hold like that. I honestly didn't mean to.**

**Seriously, I didn't. It just happened. My computer was in my hands one moment, and then the next, my jerk brother punches me and makes me drop it. I am so sorry.**

**For FanFiction readers:**

…**I know you exist. I have traffic graphs. Please review…**

**On another note, sorry for the wait. My computer was smashed. I do officially need to kill my brother for that.**

**CURSES!**

**I was defeated for a while there, but I made up my mind to become the best damn author on FanFiction, and I can't very well do that if I don't write, now can I?**

**XXXXX**


	4. Chapter IV

Forever, My Love

Chapter IV

**A/N; This chapter is set two years after the last, and Siria and Saimana are now married.**

**Lemme see, what else? I can't really think of anything worth mentioning...**

XxxX

Trees swayed with the wind in a small forest clearing. Their leaves rustled quietly, like a silent crowd cheering at the scene in front of them; a young, red haired woman fighting furiously against a hulking figure of a man. The setting sun's rays filtered through those very leaves, alighting on the scene gently with their ever-coming warmth.

Siria sighed, twirling her long red hair around one finger. Her blue eyes stared impassively forward from the bench she sat on as she watched Ike and Romani spar. Her sister was obviously losing. Badly. Siria could barely comprehend how someone as large as Ike moved so fast.

Romani was knocked onto her back, hard. Her spear flew at Siria like it had been thrown as it was knocked from Romani's hands. The pale-skinned Gerudo dodged it lithely, staring at Ike.

"Do you intend to kill me?"

Ike leveled his sword. His face was a stone mask. "If I must."

Siria drew her sword, taking her stance. Her entire concentrations were on the other warrior. Ike stepped to the left. Siria did the same.

With disproportionate speed, Ike moved forward and struck. Siria ducked under his swing, slamming her weight into his immense figure. He staggered slightly, allowing her time to back up and strike at his unguarded chest. The strange sound of chain mail ripping rent the air. Ike fell to his knees, blood dripping from a large gash at his shoulder.

He smiled, sheathing his sword and covering his wound with his hand. "Both of you, I applaud you. You have done extremely well. We will do this again tomorrow. For now, let us head back to the castle for dinner. I am sure you are both starving, as am I!"

XxxX

Siria sighed.

This was something she seemed to do more and more often these days. Her sister… Romani had much to learn; Yes, they had had dinner at the castle. Yes, it had been a specially prepared feast.

_However…_

If one puts the words, "roaring," and, "drunk," together, one gets the phrase, "roaring drunk." Romani had now given this expression new meaning. She had had too much ale, at one point toppling from her chair, only to climb back into it and stand on it, spewing forth inebriated ramblings. This was hilarious to most of the knights there, who were all in the same state of intoxication. They laughed uproariously at each other's antics.

Siria and Saimana sat at the head of the table with Elincia and Ike, preferring a small glass of wine to the ale Romani and the knights were drinking by the keg. Elincia dipped her head at Siria, showing a sympathetic smile. Saimana laid her head on Siria's shoulder, the latter putting her arm around the silver-haired beauty.

XxxX

Kana swung at Ike, his sword repelled off the blue-haired warrior's own blade with a clang that sent vibrations up Kana's arms.

Without missing a beat, the young swordsman fluidly sidestepped Ike's attempt at a counter. In a flash, he was behind Ike, kicking him hard in the back. Ike fell forward onto the grassy ground of the castle gardens. A sharp blade was held to his neck.

"I win," Kana said.

Over the past two years, Kana had regained full mobility and all of his former strength. Ike had been sparring with the young man as well as Siria and Romani. However, Kana required no teaching. He was quite skilled with almost any weapon. He also had been learning English, to better communicate with the people he made contact with everyday. Indeed, when he was not out exercising, he could often be found in the castle library, trying his hardest. Saimana had been the one teaching him.

Kana never before had seen the need to be bilingual; where he came from, in the southern part of Telmin, the native language was Telminian. However, due to the their trade with the continents of Inir and Tellius, the northerners were often even trilingual. They knew Inirian, Tellian, and Telminian. Some people even spoke the language the ancient people had used; Hylian. However, this was not often.

"I know," Ike muttered, lifting Kana's blade off his neck.

Kana offered a hand to the other man, who took it, standing. Once Ike was on his feet, Kana turned towards the castle entrance.

"Do you suppose they are still partying in there?" He sighed.

"Most likely," Ike responded smoothly. He started towards the entrance. When he noticed Kana was not following, he looked back.

"Are you coming?"

Kana shook his head. "No. I'll come in – but I'm going to stay out here a bit longer."

Ike shrugged. "Whatever."

He faced forwards again and disappeared into the castle, leaving the large wooden doors slightly ajar behind him.

Kana stared up at the night sky.

He had a feeling that something was about to happen. Good or bad, he didn't know.

XxxX

Vaati looked at the lights streaming from the massive castle's windows from the field she, Arinia, and Aran were in.

Arinia and Aran had to hold her up; her head was swimming. The sensation she had been feeling ever since she had had that dream more than two years ago was stronger than ever.

"In there," she whispered, regaining her strength. She pointed towards the castle.

"We have to go in there!" She said, louder. Arinia and Aran nodded silently, following as she swiftly made her way towards the enormous structure. As she did so, Vaati's mind kept repeating the same question; _what was in there that was so important?_

"_Maybe a holy artifact? An extremely rare spellbook? Dammit, what could it be?"_ She thought. Soon the trio was at the gate, which, for some odd reason, was open (Vaati had plenty of experience with castles and such. They usually did not leave their gates open or drawbridge down – if they indeed had both, of course. That was like telling your enemies, _"Hey, please come and destroy/loot/pillage/plunder/kill everything you can find!"_)

They slowly made their way towards the immense wooden doors that were obviously the entrance hall access. Halfway there, a young man of about sixteen stepped in front of them.

Vaati surveyed him quietly. He was skinny, but he obviously was stronger than he looked. He had brown hair and eyes, and he absolutely _radiated_ magic power; it rolled off him in _waves_. However, it was as if something was blocking him from using it.

Vaati raised an eyebrow. _"A seal, perhaps?"_

"Did you want something, Miss?" The boy questioned calmly, interrupting her thoughts.

Vaati's eyes narrowed. "I do not know if you would be able to lead me to it... Boy_._"

The boy's eyes narrowed as well. His hand strayed to the hilt of the sword that was buckled at his hip. "I get the feeling you dislike me. I can see it in your eyes… Miss."

"I did not say that." Vaati replied. "Will you be able to help me or not?"

His eyebrow twitched. "That depends. What is it you are looking for?" He questioned smoothly.

Vaati looked him up and down. "…Actually, I have no idea. Perhaps you could help me find it? Is there anything of great importance here?"

"You are at a _castle_, Miss. Of course there is. The Queen, the silver, the gold, the castle itself…"

Vaati snorted. "Those things are of little importance, boy; do not trifle me with such insignificant effects. I shall ask you again; is there anything of _great_ importance here? Something that would induce a dream of foresight, perhaps?"

"There are two, possibly three things that come to mind, yes."

"And what would those be?" Vaati asked impatiently. The boy fixed her with a stilling glare.

"Two people, and an artifact of ancient times." He said icily. "If you prove to me that you are trustworthy, perhaps I may lead you to them."

"And how would I do tha…"

Arinia interrupted before the pointless conversation could continue. "Excuse me, but we do not have time for this. I can sense you know exactly what we are looking for. If you would be so _infinitely_ kind to just lead us to it, we will not bother you again."

The boy stood there for a few moments, crossed and uncrossed his arms, then turned towards the doors. "Follow me, then."

XxxX

Romani's head was in a haze. She felt so happy, so joyful… she felt like she was on top of the world. Her vision was blurry, but she couldn't care less. She had never felt so happy.

Through the haze, she thought she saw a dark figure pass through the hall… or did she?

She burped happily and promptly passed out.

XxxX

Saimana was gently awakened by a hand knocking on their door.

"Miss Saimana?" That was Kana's voice.

"Coming," she called gently, quickly gathering her undergarments (which were strewn about) and putting them on, before putting her dress back on as well. With Siria still sleeping, her naked figure (as Saimana would find out a few seconds later, thankfully) obscured by the bedsheets, Saimana opened the door.

She was greeted not only by the sight of Kana, but of a two unknown women and a man. One of the women had green eyes and shoulder-length black hair. Her skin was somewhat tan, and she seemed nice enough. The other woman had dark purple hair that covered one of her red eyes, and she seemed rather indifferent. Her skin was ivory white.

The man looked like he could be Kana's older brother. He had the same sort of intelligent look about him, he had the same brown hair and eyes, and his skin was white, just like Kana's.

Saimana looked at them quietly. After a small silence, she asked in Telminian, "May I help you?"

"Yes," the purple-haired one said. "I believe you can."

XxxX

A dark figure watched the interaction from the shadows. The figure wore a cloak with a hood that obscured most of their face. What could be seen of their mouth curved upward with a smile.

XxxX

Kana was dizzy. The feeling that something was going to happen was getting ever stronger.

His trained eyes scanned up and down the tiled hall. Moonlight lighted a little bit of it, but not much.

He himself was walking back outside, to continue resting and stargazing. That was, until the unsteadying dizziness came upon him, making him lean against the ornately painted and etched wall for support.

His senses told him that this was not a natural dizziness. This was a spell to induce unsteadiness, whether it be dizziness, nausea, or anything else, also known as a disordering spell. Considering the type of spell, the caster had to be nearby, or at least a conduit the person had used to cast the spell.

He looked everywhere for something out of place. Suddenly he noticed the oddity of this spell.

It was completely silent. There was no wind. The noise from the party below in the dining hall was gone. He unsheathed his sword and there was nothing. No sound of metal sliding past metal. Just a sword sliding quietly from its place of rest.

This was not a disordering spell. This was a silencing spell, a spell assassins used to silence, deafen and weaken their target before death.

A cool blade was pressed to his neck, heralding the arrival of the said assassin. Kana closed his eyes.

It wasn't over yet, however.

XxxX

"I…" Saimana stopped talking midsentence. She had just been subject to a vision. She pushed past the trio in the hallway, pulling the pin from her hair. It lengthened into her familiar silver blade.

She suddenly felt it hard to continue down the hallway. There was something resisting her continue. A barrier.

XxxX

The trio of Vaati, Aran, and Arinia felt it the same time as Saimana. There was a disturbance. They followed the silver-haired woman down the hallway to the barrier.

Saimana was working on an incantation to dispel it. However, it was quite lengthy, and Vaati's patience ran thin quickly.

"_Ara somi…"_ Saimana was interrupted by the purple-haired mage.

"For Nayru's sake! _Kashinamori!_" Vaati shouted. The barrier shattered instantly, and the four continued forward. What they saw at the turn of the hall was not good.

Kana was facing towards them, and behind him was a hooded figure, pressing a small knife to Kana's jugular. The figure looked up, and instantly shouted an incantation.

"_Kaimioda!"_ A red bolt of magic energy left the hooded figure's free hand.

"_Maridaso!"_ Vaati's black counterspell collided with it midair, and the spells connected, cancelling each other. The whole castle seemed to shake with the aftershock.

The assassin and Kana faced Aran, Arinia, Vaati and Saimana in a silent standoff. The assassin smiled under their hood.

_This_ could only end in their victory.

Or perhaps not.

XxxX

Siria did not like being awakened from any sort of sleep. Nor did anyone usually wake her, due to her temper. Ike and Saimana were the only exceptions.

She, being sensitive to any type of magical disturbance, immediately awoke when Vaati and the assassin's spells collided. She bolted out of bed without thinking, throwing on her clothes.

"_Wait…" _She stopped for a second. _"What am I doing?"_

The castle shook violently, nearly throwing Siria to the floor. She steadied herself against a wall, grabbing her sword.

"That can't be good," she decided out loud, exiting the room. She sprinted down the hallway, where the source of the disturbance seemed to be. She was now in a _really _bad mood from being woken.

When she turned the corner, she didn't even think when she saw the scene in front of her. She began sprinting forward. However, a hand caught her shirt.

"Are you insane?" A voice hissed in her ear. Siria's eyes widened. She… She knew that voice!

That was the voice of the woman she had dreamed about, two years ago!

She turned, to find that it was indeed true; the purple-haired woman from her dreams stood before her, glaring at her.

Siria stared at the woman, disbelieving. "You're…! You're that woman! The one from my dreams!" She exclaimed.

Vaati's eyes narrowed. "You dreamt of me?"

Saimana diverted their attention back to the assassin. "Can we _please_ focus on what's happening, you two? Explanations can wait!"

Siria turned back to face the assassin, readying her sword. Her expression could clearly be read as outright furious. Even the assassin took a step back as she glared at them.

"Let go of me," she told Vaati quietly. The Dark Sage obeyed silently, letting her hand fall back to her side.

Siria studied the assassin carefully, looking for any possible opening. This went on for about five minutes, before she dropped her sword. It hit the marble floor with a loud clatter.

"Trade?" She offered softly. "My life for his?"

"Siria, you mustn't!" Saimana exclaimed. "You're the only hope we have against Ganondorf!"

Siria ignored her. "Well?"

The assassin, seemingly accepting this, shoved Kana at the group. When he had safely reached them, Siria walked to the hooded figure, who was smiling wickedly.

Siria grinned, once there. "Ike's training rule number one; never let your guard down." She punched the assassin in the stomach. They doubled over, Siria disarming them of their knife. She held the tip against the back of their neck.

"Checkmate."

XxxX

As it turned out, it was a young woman. Her name was Perisan Styx, and she had black hair and blue eyes, her normal weapon being a spear. She had to apologize to them over and over, saying that she was just poor, never intending to actually hurt anyone, et cetera.

They were suspicious, but accepted this, due to the fact that her coin purse was empty and she was gaunt and bony. She stayed in Siria, Romani and Saimana's room for the night, sleeping on the floor, both Siria and Saimana keeping a close eye on her.

As for Vaati, Arinia, and Aran, introductions and explanations were given. Siria explained everything about her dreams, and Vaati confirmed all of it as true, saying that she had been drawn to Crimea.

As she lay in a guest room bed, she thought, _"Is this what they call destiny, I wonder?"_

She could only guess.

XxxX

When Romani awoke, she had the worst migraine she'd ever experienced. She barely remembered the previous night.

She sat up, screwing her eyes up against the sunlight. She was in Great Hall, with a bunch of snoring knights and empty kegs and tankards everywhere. An immense wave of nausea swept over her, and she grabbed a used keg quickly, ripping the top off and throwing up in it. She continued to do so for two minutes.

When the sickness passed, she was left only with the headache. Her legs were weak, and she didn't trust herself to make it back to her, Siria, and Saimana's room. Instead, she slumped across the table, feeling completely exhausted and utterly useless.

XxxX

Styx awoke with a yawn, having had the first good sleep she'd had in… she guessed at _least_ three years. Sunlight was pouring through the balcony window, and she sighed, remembering the events of the previous night.

She stood up, noticing a note laying on top of the dresser. She picked it up and scanned the page.

"_Styx, I hope you know we all forgive you for your actions. You were desperate. We would have done the same. Siria and I are out on a walk. I don't know if my clothes would fit you, so Siria left out some of hers. –Saimana."_ Styx read aloud. She looked around the room for the said clothes, spotting them laying on Siria and Saimana's bed.

She took off her old, worn black pants and shirt, tossing them aside. She quickly dressed in Siria's clothes, sighing contentedly. They were much more comfortable.

XxxX

Aran awoke with Arinia sleeping beside him. He gazed at his wife's sleeping face, wondering how long she could pose as his sister before Vaati found out.

"…Oh, I already know," came Vaati's voice. Aran looked over. Vaati was laying on her bed in her robes, reading. Aran sighed.

"I _hate_ it when you do that."

Vaati glanced at him. "And I hate when you pretend to be a man by hiding behind that silly spell. You are not fooling me, and never have."

Aran looked shocked. "How do you know that?"

Vaati gave a knowing smile. "I'm a Dark Sage, you know. I can sense all types of magic, and Darkness especially. You have never displayed much aptitude for magic, yet it covers your entire body like a veil. I am guessing your enemies did this to humiliate you, long ago."

Aran looked to the side "…You are correct."

Vaati closed her eyes for a moment, focusing.

"_Kashinamori."_

Instantly, Aran changed. His hair lengthened until it reached his ankles. His eyebrows thinned and the shape of his face changed into that of a woman's. His shoulders lost their broadness and moved in slightly, just a tiny bit closer to his neck. His chest suddenly filled out with two rather ample breasts that strained against his shirt. Now a woman, her stomach lost its hardened abs (or rather, they receded slightly, still there, just not visible) and curved inwards until it reached her hips, which expanded outwards. Her legs became much more shapely, losing some weight in the process. The last thing that changed was that a short scar appeared on her left thigh.

A female Aran gazed back at Vaati with amazement evident in her eyes.

"…You are strong, indeed. That was quite a powerful spell," she said, bowing to Vaati. "How can I repay you?"

"By traveling with me and being my companion, just as you have for these past two years," Vaati replied. "And changing your shirt."

Vaati looked away, while Aran changed. A few minutes later, when Aran told her it was okay to look, she turned.

Aran had put on a black… something. It was akin to a bra, because it held her chest up, but it reached all the way around her back and left her stomach exposed. Her extremely long hair was in a ponytail that made it so her hair only reached about her mid-back. In addition, she was wearing black shorts and sandals, to contrast with the thick pants and boots she was wearing before.

Vaati smiled. "That is much better."

Aran grunted, giving a slight nod. She bent over to wake Arinia, and Vaati went back to her book.

XxxX

"It's beautiful out here." Saimana sighed, laying her head on Siria's shoulder. They were in the middle of the Crimean fields, staring at the vast expanses of grass that seemed to go on forever, rolling with the hills. They watched as a single deer ran across the fields in the distance.

"Mmm," Siria agreed quietly, her mind elsewhere. Saimana noticed this.

"What troubles you?"

Siria shook her head. "Nothing… I was just thinking about the future. What do we do if I manage to defeat Ganondorf?"

Saimana placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "We won't know until then, will we? Perhaps the future is something no one should foresee."

"Perhaps." Siria heaved a sigh, holding her beloved just a bit closer. "And I suppose it might be better that way."

"Indeed."

There was silence between the two for a while, until Siria spoke again;

"Saimana?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you believe I'm suited to be the Hero of Time?" Siria asked. Saimana smiled at her lovingly.

"I can think of no one better suited than you, Siria," she breathed, moving in for a tender kiss.

When they broke, Siria looked at her wife. "But what _makes_ me suited for it? I cannot think of any other reason besides the fact that I was born to the former Hero of Time."

Saimana tilted her head in gentle amusement. "How blind you are to your own greatness, Siria." She laughed softly. "You are compassionate and caring for all. You will not hesitate to do what is right, no matter the cost. Power is useless, when not paired with this, and you are truly powerful."

She brushed Siria's hair away from her face. "_That_, Siria, is why the Goddesses chose you to be the Hero of Time; it is not your blood that you were chosen for. It is your will... your heart."

Siria looked at her wife in surprise. "…You truly think so, I can tell. I love you, Saimana," she stated softly. Saimana nodded, pushing her gently to the ground.

"I love you, Siria. Always and forever," she murmured in Siria's ear.

The two laid there in a comfortable embrace, completely at peace and relaxed for the time being. Slowly, Siria drifted off to sleep.

XXXX

_I can't remember ever feeling such pain._

_As the fortress burns to the ground around me, I push myself up with my sword. Zelda takes my hand._

"_Link!" She shouts. "We must leave, now! With the last of his might, Ganondorf is trying to crush us by collapsing his castle!"_

_I groan, standing up, nodding. The flames burn around us, chunks of the ceiling falling as we run through the collapsing castle. The staircase is completely open to the outside now, and has several gaps in it. Zelda stands at the edge of one of these, unsure._

"_GO!" I shout, shoving her over the edge. She lands roughly on the floor below, and I follow shortly as she raises the bars from the door._

_Inside again, it's sweltering. We're halfway through one of the chambers I fought Ganondorf's strongest minions in when flames spring to life around Zelda._

_Two Stalfos appear from nowhere, and I groan in pain, dealing the first a blow that sends it flying apart. The second, however, is not as easy. I waste several precious minutes of time trying to get through its nearly impenetrable defense, receiving yet another wound along the way. When it finally lies defeated, the flames around Zelda lower, and we continue through the wreckage._

_We're nearly out, crossing the final bridge, when a redead climbs up onto the bridge, freezing both of us with its shriek._

_If Zelda wasn't here, I wouldn't be able to move at all._

_I behead the undead menace with a swift stroke, and we finally make it outside. Zelda makes it several seconds before me, and as I exit, a large explosion goes off behind me, blowing at least twenty feet forward._

_I land with a scream of pain, lying there, paralyzed, for a few seconds, before standing and uncorking my last bottle of blue potion, emptying it faster than usually possible._

_As several (but not all) of my wounds start to seal up, I stand, meeting Zelda's concerned gaze with a grin._

"_We did it, didn't we?" I ask. She hesitates, then slowly nods, breaking out into a huge smile._

"_We did it. He's dead." She laughs with relief, and join her._

_A sharp, metallic clang sounds from the wreckage, and I immediately thrust an arm out protectively in front of Zelda._

_I'm nearly knocked unconscious as a huge explosion goes off right in the center of the wreckage, blowing nearly all of it to kingdom come, leaving a large empty space on the floating platform._

_And in the middle stands Ganondorf. His eyes are completely white, and he raises his hand to show his Triforce symbol with a shout of fury._

_Darkness consumes him, swirling around him and taking form, until…_

_Holy shit, that's one giant pig._

_Ganondorf must've completely lost it now. He's a giant, thirty-foot tall moblin (I mean they're already huge, but this is fucking overboard) wielding two huge golden swords._

_He swings them around wildly, and when one nearly hits me, I raise the Master Sword instinctively to deflect it (both my regular shield and the Mirror Shield being long gone). Big mistake._

_The Master Sword flies from my hand, and a ring of fire forms around us, preventing me from reaching it or Zelda._

_Well, that's _great_. I'm facing a super-insane King of Evil with two giant swords, bare-handed, all my equipment either smashed, utterly obliterated, or lost._

_Did I ever mention how much I hate Ganondorf, by the way?_

_No?_

_I really, really, REALLY hate Ganondorf._

_I duck under his powerful swing, and I feel the wind from the blade pass over me, nearly knocking me over._

"_Holy shit," I mutter. One hit from one of those things, and that's it. I'm done._

_I roll out of the way of another blow, spotting Ganondorf's odd-colored tail flailing about._

_Cliché, but that's definitely a weakness._

_I grab a long, sharp rock from the rubble, rolling under another strike and through Ganondorf's legs, grabbing the tail and stabbing it multiple times with my rock._

_Ganondorf gives an earth-shattering roar, turning and striking wildly multiple times in rage._

_Zelda, who finally seems to be realizing what's happening, grabs the Master Sword and throws it to me. I catch it by the hilt (finally, some good luck! It's about fucking time!), jumping to the side as a massive sword smashes into the ground where I was just standing. I slice open Ganondorf's arm, making him roar in pain as… holy shit, is that __blood__? Why in Nayru's name does he have _blue_ fucking blood spilling out of his arm?_

_I give a battle cry, getting behind Ganondorf while he's distracted, slicing his tail clean off. I climb up onto his back, eventually getting onto his head as he roars and thrashes about, trying to shake me off, which he nearly succeeds in._

_I shout the words, "FOR HYRULE, YOU BASTARD!"_ _as I ram the Master Sword into the jewel on his forehead._

_Ganondorf thuds to the ground, unconscious but still somehow alive._

_After all that? This guy's fucking invincible!_

_Zelda cries something about the Sages, and Ganondorf's body recedes into its normal form. He is now awake, and glares at me from the ground._

_The last thing I see is a ball of Dark Magic heading towards me, and then everything goes black._

XXXX

"…Siria, it's time for lunch." Saimana shook her spouse gently. Siria stirred slowly. After a little bit, she opened her eyes.

"Mana?" She murmured. "What's wrong?"

Saimana smiled. "Nothing. It's time for lunch."

Siria sat up sleepily, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. She recalled her strange dream.

"_Was that… Mother?"_ She asked herself uncertainly. _"When she wasn't a woman?"_

XxxX

One month later…

XxxX

"You're leaving?" Elincia asked, surprised. "So soon?"

Siria, dressed in her traveling clothes, responded, "We must return to Hyrule. I am sure, however, that we will meet again, Queen Elincia."

Elincia smiled at her sadly. "So be it. I am sure of it as well. We shall all miss you."

Kana stepped forward. "And we, you. I still have not repaid my debt to you, but I shall, someday."

Elincia shook her head. "You can do so by traveling with your friends and being their companions. That is enough for me."

Ike spoke up from her side. "I am proud of you, Siria, Romani. You will both become great warriors someday, I am sure of it. To do so…"

"…We must always remember what you have taught us, and never use our weapons to commit evil, for the weapon is only as good as the warrior who holds it," Romani finished for him, grinning. "We know."

Ike smiled at her. "It seems I say that often enough. You will both find your own way."

XXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER IV

END

XXXX

**A/N; Okay, this chapter might seemed kind of rushed towards the end, and I blame myself for that. But I did have to rush it to finally get it out. I mean, I've made you guys wait long enough. This will suffice, I hope.**


	5. Chapter V

Forever, My Love

Chapter V

**A/N; All right, guys! This story is currently OFF hiatus and back in action! The next few chapters will be focused around Styx, Siria, Saimana, Romani, Vaati, Kana, Aran, and Arinia's exploits on the way to Hyrule over the next two years (by the way, it's the 10th Era, 811th-813th years). A lot of this will involve just random encounters on the way to Hyrule, so expect some humor (or some attempts at it) during these chapters. Also, remember that Siria and Saimana **_**are**_** married now, and Aran and Arinia have **_**been**_** married.**

**This arc of the plot in particular won't be extremely important to the story, but for those of you who are waiting for the next chapter of Aronians (which I'm not releasing until Forever, My Love is done, by the way; chapter one was just a kind of teaser so you can see what's to come), several important references will be made in there to this trip, including the introduction of Ronin and Ashini.**

**Also, Forever, My Love is written in chapters. Aronians, however, is written in **_**arcs, **_**which lay within volumes (which, contradicting myself, are basically chapters.) For example, the current arc in Aronians (which will be resolved in the next volume, once I release it) is the **_**Masori**_** arc, which, obviously, focuses around the guild's struggle with the dictator/empress of the Arkon Empire. It is resolved mid-volume, however (and you are, of course, notified), and I move on to the next arc (which is a secret). Arcs are like chapters, see? They just end, occasionally in mid-volume.**

**One last thing: "iira" is Elven/Inirian for sister, and is usually used between elves as a form of address, regardless of actual relation or not. However, it can also be used to refer to non-Elven women in certain contexts, such as when addressing a female customer or comrade. Similarly, "aara" means brother, and is used in much the same way.**

**That's all, so see you at the bottom, when I ramble in more author's notes/comments.**

XxxX

"All right, is it wrong to already want to go back?" Romani sighed.

"Yes," Siria said, annoyed with her sister's complaining.

Siria and company had currently been traveling for about a month and a half, and they had just reached the border between Begnion, the easternmost country of Tellius, and Nimon, the westernmost country of Inir (which, like much of the Inirian countries, had a predominantly elven population, one of the largest in the world), and they were crossing through a small town, that, true to Inir's elven roots, was filled with elves of all types. Stopping from their work for a second, occasionally they offered the travelers a friendly hello, which they returned politely.

"I was just saying…" Romani began, and Siria whirled around to face her.

"And I'm just _telling_ you, you're being really annoying! Stop complaining!" She said heatedly.

"Calm down," Kana stated passively, his arms behind his head. Oddly enough, the boy never seemed to age over the two years they'd known him. "She doesn't mean any harm by it; she just misses Crimea and all their ale, right?"

"Right," Romani agreed, then her eyes widened as the group laughed. "Wait… That's not funny!" She pouted. He grinned.

Meanwhile, Arinia was looking around, concern written on her face.

"What is it?" Saimana asked. Arinia continued looking.

"…I think we lost Styx…" Arinia spoke with a hint of anxiety evident in her tone. They all looked around.

True to the black-haired woman's statement, Styx was nowhere to be found.

XxxX

Styx picked up a painted black spear with a chain sticking out of a hole in the end of the shaft. "What's this chain for?" She asked the shopkeeper curiously. He laughed.

"Oh, that's an advanced chain spear you've got there. You throw it while holding onto the chain, and then it retracts after a short time."

Styx's eyes widened. "How much?" She asked breathlessly.

"Twenty thousand Locha." The shopkeeper said.

Styx's expression fell. _"There's no way I can pay that much… I've only got half that…"_ She thought dejectedly, placing the spear back on the stand. She picked up the one next to it, which looked similar, but it only had a black paint stripe in the middle of its shaft, contrary to the other one.

"That's a basic chain spear, that one. It doesn't retract automatically like the other one, but it's a decent weapon once you get the hang of it. I'll give it to you for seven thousand Locha." The shopkeeper told her. She smiled, taking out her coin purse.

"Done."

XxxX

A seven thousand Locha-poorer Styx cheerfully exited the shop, happy about her new weapon. She walked about ten feet before the realization hit her like a rock;

She couldn't see anyone she knew.

In other words, she was lost.

XxxX

The cluster of adventurers all searched fruitlessly for Styx for a full hour, before meeting up in front of the inn they were staying at for the night.

"If she has any brains at _all_, which I _seriously_ doubt, she'll come back here," Vaati said contemptuously; she did not like Styx very much, due to the way they had met. Siria frowned at her.

"Oh come _on,_ Vaati, just forgive and forget already, would you? She was starving to _death_, for Nayru's sake."

Vaati looked away in a huff. "I still see no reason for her actions."

"All she ever does is try to be nice to you, and you act like this," Arinia told her friend softly. "Perhaps you should just get over it, Vaati. Personally, I like Styx very much, and I would certainly trust her with my life."

Vaati sniffed, but did not reply. Aran rolled her eyes.

"Half the time, you're one of the most mature people I've ever met, but whenever she comes up, you act like a child."

Vaati looked at the lance-wielding warrior, nettled. "She can't be trusted, and things like this prove it."

"Vaati, she's paid for _every_ inn we've stayed at so far. She's nearly broke already!" Saimana said.

"Hmph. I still do not trust her. She may still be just trying to earn our trust," Vaati replied. "Besides, there's something about her that's not right. She's hiding something, I just know it."

Siria sighed, rubbing her temples. "Vaati, we've only known her for two and a half months, the same amount of time we've known you. You're probably hiding just as much – if not more – as her."

"But I've told you everything about me, _haven't_ I?"

XxxX

Styx walked into the inn, humming to herself. She spotted her companions right away, and nearly skipped over to them.

"I'm back!" She said happily, as the group sighed in relief, with the obvious exception of Vaati.

"So we see. Why did you buy another spear?" Kana asked curiously.

"It's not just a spear. It's a chain spear. It's supposed to extend on a chain when you throw it, and you can haul it back!"

Romani's eyes widened. "Where'd you get that? I've been wanting one of those for _years_!"

"Some weapons dealer two streets over. He…" Styx was cut off as Romani sprinted out of the inn in a flash.

"They don't sell weapons commonly in Hyrule, just the materials," Siria explained. "We had a tough enough time getting the most basic weapons, and those were really inefficient and unbalanced. In the end, we had to forge our own, which took a while to get right. And whenever we visited the arms dealer back in Crimea, they were always out of stock."

"Why not just forge one yourself?" Aran asked. "It doesn't seem too hard to make; you just anchor a chain to the inside of the spear shaft, right?"

"No, there's a mechanism that allows it to retract when you pull back on it. It keeps the chain from getting tangled as well," Styx provided. She suddenly remembered something that made her go red.

"Um… I don't think I have enough Locha to pay for tonight…" She said in embarrassment.

"I'll pay. And from now on, we all take turns, agreed?" Siria inquired. They all responded to the affirmative as Siria walked up to the counter. The elven man behind it quirked an eyebrow.

"You are staying the night, yes?" He asked distantly. His expression was one of mild disdain, which Siria was curious about, but she decided not to ask.

"Yes. Will this be enough for five rooms?" She handed the man a hundred thousand Locha. He nodded slowly (Siria slept with Saimana, Arinia slept with Aran, Romani slept in the same room as Styx, but usually in a bedroll, and Kana and Vaati slept alone.)

"Enjoy your stay, _iira_."

"Thank you." Siria said, turning away.

"All right," Kana began. "Now what?" It was still only early afternoon, and the group had nothing to do.

"I would say spar, but I'm not sure anybody who lives here would really approve of that…" Styx said, bored.

"How about a bath?" Saimana suggested gently. Everyone except Kana immediately perked up. "I'm sure they have a public bath here…"

Kana slumped in his chair, muttering about how, sometimes, he _hated_ being a guy; the rest of the group stood up and made their way over to the counter. The man gave them directions to a spring (which both the continents of Inir and the southern part of Telmin had overabundances of), and they were off, leaving him sitting there all alone.

He was sitting, lost in his own thoughts, when two people walked through the doors to the inn. He paid them no heed, distracted by his own thoughts, as they walked to the counter. Both were cloaked.

"How much to stay the night?" One of them asked in a soft voice, obviously a woman.

"Twenty thousand," the man behind the counter said. As he was thinking about other things, Kana failed to notice a small flash of light that came from near the counter.

The man shook his head as if in a daze. "…I'm sorry, you wanted to stay the night, _iira_?"

"Yes," the woman responded softly.

"Five thousand," he told them, still seeming dizzy and disoriented. The woman handed him a small handful of Locha, and the two exited the room by the stairs.

About a minute later, the man shook his head again.

"What happened…?" He muttered to himself, then looked at Kana, who was still sitting quietly. "Hey, you, kid!"

Kana looked up. "Yeah?"

"You cast a dizzying spell or something?" The man asked.

Kana sighed, shaking his head. "Nah, don't know any."

"Did any of your lady friends?"

"No, they had no reason to."

The man went quiet, still trying to figure out what happened. Kana resumed thinking, which he seemed to do a lot of now.

He was thinking about important things. Very important things, indeed, his mind drifting from one important thing to the next, such as wondering what the women in his group looked like naked, or what sort of naughty things Siria and Saimana did to each other during the night.

No one could blame him; he _was_ just a teenager, after all. At least, he was supposed to be, and he was _very_ good at acting like it.

XxxX

Two days later…

XxxX

"This forest goes on _forever…_" Kana sighed wearily, as he kept pace with the women. They had exited the border town and were now venturing through a large forest that split most of the continent of Inir into two very uneven halves, having come from the (considerably) smaller half.

"Seems like it," Styx agreed. It was early morning, and the group had begun their long trek again.

"Well, at least we won't get bored, that's for sure," Romani said, her arms behind her head. "I heard from one of the townspeople that there's a ton of old ruins all around this place."

"Whose idea was it to cut through the forest instead of going around, again?" Styx asked. Romani looked at her, then pointed her thumb at Siria, whose back was turned to them.

"Nice work, genius." Romani leaned on her sister's shoulder. Siria glared at her.

"You should be glad I was smart enough to save us the time of going around. That would've taken months, and besides, we're not lost; as long as we're heading opposite the sun, we should be fi… whoa."

The group had emerged into a large clearing with an ancient-looking building in it. It seemed to be a temple of sorts; it had two unidentifiable symbols that were cracked and worn hanging over the overgrown oak entrance doors. It was so large, they wondered how they could have missed it before. It was considerably overgrown as well; vines, shrubs, and other vegetation were growing wherever there was a crack or other opportunity.

"We are _so_ exploring that." Romani grinned.

"We are so _not_," Aran told her, pointing at the two symbols. "That's Sidoanis for, 'Forest,' which means this is one of Sidoa's ancient Pillars of Magic."

The majority of them gave her a blank stare. She sighed, facepalming. "In the ancient wars, Sidoa had nine 'Pillars,' or temples, of magical strength; Forest, Water, Sky, Fire, Dark, Light, Desert, Earth, and Spirit. They drew all their strength from them, as most of the Sidoans were unable to use magic. These temples were everything to them. There are probably still creatures of Nayru-knows-what kind guarding this one."

"But they're guarding _something_. And that _something_ must be _valuable_, right?" Kana put in. "Oh, come on; we _have_ to explore this thing."

Most of them, even Vaati, agreed that they were curious about it. Arinia and Aran glanced at each other. Arinia raised an eyebrow, and Aran shrugged helplessly, as if to say, _"I tried."_

"Fine," Arinia said. "But don't blame us if you get hurt."

XxxX

They proceeded into the temple, gazing around them in fascination. To Siria, Romani, and Saimana, the first room was so much like the Temple of Time, it was eerie; windows, high above them, lined the white walls, and marble pillars lined the way to a set of stairs that led downward, above them hanging the same symbol outside the temple. Plants of all types grew on the walls and floor, growing over long-forgotten stone pews and once-ornate, moth-eaten carpet.

The women of the group looked at each other, then at the stairs, as if asking, _"Who first?"_

"I'll go," Kana offered, drawing his sword. He led them to the stairs, looking down into the darkness. He held up a torch, waiting as Vaati cast a fire spell.

"All right…" He muttered, and started down the steps.

They seemed to go on a long way, turning at odd angles every so often. They went further and further down, the air getting warm and musty.

Kana suddenly stopped, much to the women's curiosity. He beckoned them forward and pointed down. They stared in shock.

The stairs had finally stopped, at the entrance to a large room with an upraised dais in the center, with a large black stone on it. Right where the stairs ended, there was a large pit that seemed to extend down forever. It seemed there had once been a bridge over the gap, but it had fallen long ago.

"Well, there's only one way to find out if it's bottomless or not," Romani offered, spitting into the blackness. She got on her hands and knees, her head sticking over the edge, listening.

They waited for almost a full minute before Romani stood up and grinned. "There's a bottom."

"_Great_, we can break our necks _after_ all. I'm so relieved." Siria rolled her eyes, then noticed Kana out of the corner of her eye. She gave a gasp.

"Kana, what are you _doing?_"

The young man had a foot out over the gap, like he was about to take a step. He ignored her, slowly lowering his foot down. It stopped midair, there was a small _tap,_ and he grinned back at them.

"Illusion Magic," He said, offering no further explanation.

The rest of them stared in amazement as Kana walked across what seemed to be thin air. He reached the other side in no time, beckoning at them. They were understandably hesitant.

Vaati sighed, pushing the one closest to her (which happened to be Romani) out over the gap. "For Nayru's sake, _go_ already."

Romani slowly, unsurely, walked across the gap, until she, too, was on the other side.

After that, they crossed one by one, until they were all over.

"That was one of the weirdest things I've ever experienced," Styx stated for all of them.

Kana, already at the black stone on the dais, looked back at them. "This is a coffin."

They all gathered around it; indeed, it was a simple black stone coffin, seeming like the only thing of importance in the room.

"The question is; _whose_ coffin is it?" Siria questioned.

"Only one way to find out," Kana said, helping Romani lift the lid (to Aran and Arinia's great distress), letting it fall to the carpeted floor with a loud thud.

Inside rested a skeleton, its arms crossed over its chest in a peaceful position. It was long rid of any flesh or muscle, but the horrible stench of blood and decaying flesh immediately assaulted their nostrils. They reeled.

"…Why do I get the feeling we just made a _huge_ mistake?" Romani asked nervously.

"Because you did." Aran pointed to long string of Sidoanis on the side of the coffin. "Loosely translated, that means, 'The Huntress,' one of Sidoa's greatest warriors. You probably just unleashed a curse on us."

True to Aran's words, the room shifted around them, to their horror. They were once again outside, and it was still morning, but the stench of blood still lingered in the air. They found out why as they realized they were on a cliff (bordering a forest, of course) overlooking a sparse valley. Two large forces battled on the hard-packed earth, spilling blood everywhere. Explosions of magic blasted through soldiers from both sides, war cries being shouted constantly. Swords, axes, and armor glinted in the unforgiving sun. Spears and arrows constantly rained over the hordes of battling soldiers.

"I remember this battle," Aran said quietly. "This took place at the edge of the Sidoan Desert, Aiyan."

"Which of you fools set me free?" Asked a strange voice, and they turned.

A woman dressed in garb much like a hunter stood before them; she wore a tight leather top, and short leather pants. She held a bow in her hand, and a quiver of arrows was slung over her shoulders.

The strangest and most terrifying thing about her was that she looked and sounded exactly like Vaati (except for her hair – rather than covering half her face, it was in an elaborate ponytail), but there was something extremely… _off_ about her.

"Do you still refuse to die, Aran Hylia?" She asked softly, an arrow aimed straight for the brown-haired warrior. "I bet your soul must have aged like wine, as all souls do…" She licked her lips cruelly.

Aran tensed. "That is easy for one who sold their own soul for power to say, Huntress," She replied quietly, her spear ready at her side. "Truly, you have become a demon."

"And vampires are not?" The so-called 'Huntress' asked calmly. Aran glared at her.

"Being dead for so long, I doubt you know that that has been long purified." Aran pointed her spear at her. "I abhor the fires of Hell and those who dwell in it."

The Huntress looked at the only male of the group, Kana. He instantly seemed under a trance as he started walking towards her.

Aran looked at him. _"Sorry about this, but I have to,"_ she thought, and she whacked the back of his head as hard as she could with her spear. He crumpled instantly.

The Huntress fired her arrow, which passed Aran and headed for Siria, who dodged it.

"Threatening my friend _and_ my sister. All right, now I'm pissed," Romani growled, stepping forward, beside Aran. The rest of them drew their weapons.

In an instant, they attacked together; Siria and Saimana lunged at her with their swords, Vaati cast a powerful spell, Aran, Romani, and Styx thrust their spears at her, and Arinia fired several arrows in succession.

The Huntress was like a whirlwind; in an instant, she had ducked under Siria and Saimana's strikes, punched Saimana in the stomach and impaled Siria with an arrow at point blank range. She then seized Romani and Styx's spears and tugged on them, forcing the two to let go and turning them around to impale their wielders through the stomach, dodging Aran's strike and countering with a knife in between the ribs, dangerously close to the heart. She obviously could dodge Arinia's arrows, punching her in the face, and casting a counterspell that threw Vaati to the edge of the cliff was easy for her.

She laughed contemptuously as they all laid on the ground, groaning, unconscious, or bleeding to death. "Is that really all you can do now?" She seized Aran by the back of her shirt, lifting her up.

"You have become weak, pitiful, as all mortals are," the demon whispered, her unnaturally long tongue licking the side of Aran's face. Aran shuddered in disgust, unable to do anything.

"Oh, I will be sure to toy with you quite a lot before feasting on your soul, Hylia." She threw Aran to the ground and walked over to where Siria was, shrieking in pain at the arrow through her chest. She ripped the arrow out of Siria's wound, making blood pour out of the hole and Siria scream in agony. "And you also, Hero of Time…" She whispered, bending over and putting her mouth to Siria's wound and licking it over and over, causing the redhead to spasm in pain. "Not much longer, and your soul will be mine as well."

She walked away from the dying heroine, to Styx and Romani, who were in a similar condition, somehow still alive.

"Mortals are _truly_ pitiful," she laughed, stepping on Styx's face. However, she froze after about two seconds as the blade of a sword and the head and part of the shaft of a spear sprouted from her chest. Black blood poured from the wounds, and she turned, only annoyed, to see a black and purple form slam into her.

She flew quite a distance off the edge of the cliff, and Vaati stood there, panting and helpless as the scene faded back into the temple room. She fell to her knees, clutching her shoulder, where there was a gash from the Huntress' Dark Magic counterspell. No doubt the Dark Magic was spreading like poison through her veins, even if she had more resistance to it than most people. She was forced to watch through a sea of pain as Saimana, the only one both conscious and relatively okay, stood.

XxxX

Saimana stood, her vision swimming.

_That was… a Darkness Spell on her fist…_

She unsteadily made her way to the one in the worst condition, which was Styx. The black haired woman was unconscious, had an obviously broken nose, and was losing too much blood to stay alive for much longer. Saimana fell to her knees beside her, whispering a, "Sorry…" as she took a deep breath, then tugged the spear out of Styx's wound as gently as she could, which wasn't very gentle at all. Styx immediately came awake, screaming loudly. Saimana laid her hand on the wound, Light Magic glowing on her palm. Styx's wound slowly sealed up, and an exhausted Saimana crawled over to Romani, the next worst.

She mimicked her actions with Styx, and by the time she was done, she knew she bordering comatose-like unconsciousness. She then went over to Aran, removing the knife and having to settle for bandages over magic, as there was no way she had enough strength left for another spell.

Or at least, she would have used bandages, but she felt a hand grab her foot, and an immense amount of magic power poured into her from an outside force. She looked down, to see Vaati sleeping, her hand still resting on Saimana's foot. Once she had treated Aran, she moved on to the Dark Sage, feeling extremely grateful that Vaati had given her the extra magic she so desperately needed.

"_Is this what Vaati's power is like? I feel like I could go without sleeping for days… no, weeks on end…"_ Saimana thought in amazement. She then treated Siria, whose wound had taken on a dangerous purple hue. Saimana cursed herself for being stupid as she realized Siria had been poisoned.

"_I don't know, even now, if I have enough strength to cast an antidote spell…"_ Saimana thought, but tried it anyway, placing her hand on the wound, as Light Magic gathered around it. Siria whimpered in pain, and Saimana stroked her face with a hand to reassure her.

"I'm right here, my love…" She whispered, her mind becoming foggy as she recited line after line of an incantation she barely remembered.

"_I… can do… this…"_ She told herself desperately, blackness creeping at the edges of her vision.

"It's okay," a voice suddenly whispered in her ear. "You can rest now."

Saimana, not knowing who it was, was forced to give in anyway, sinking into blissful darkness.

XxxX

Arinia stood over the passed-out Saimana, sighing. Saimana had nearly completed the incantation; she just needed to recite the last line. She pressed her palm against Siria's wound, muttering the last line of the long incantation and standing up as Siria's wound started pouring a mysterious purple liquid then sealed up.

Kana was relatively okay, so, replacing the lid to the accursed coffin, Arinia sat down, her back to the coffin, drifting off into darkness.

XxxX

When Kana awoke, he was mystified to see a bunch of passed-out girls laying around, dead to the world in their heavy sleep. He stood, the last thing he remembered being standing on a cliff. Then it was kinda blurry as the Huntress had cast a spell on him, and finally, the fire went out… until the current moment.

He gingerly touched the back of his head, wincing as he did so. It was sprouting quite a lump from whatever Aran had done to knock him out.

"_I'll get you back for that somehow,"_ he thought, glancing around. He noticed that there were large amounts of dried blood on the floor, and some of the women's clothes were ripped, but his companions were okay, besides being asleep.

"_Okay, what the hell happened after I blacked out?"_ He asked himself in confusion. _"I mean, they look like they're fine, except for that bruise on Arinia's cheek, but still…"_

He looked at the way they had come through, then the other way, at the door which no doubt led to another passage or room. He headed for the latter, pausing with his hand on the handle.

"_Well, we did come in here to explore, and they're…"_ He glanced back. _"…Yeah, they're not waking up anytime today."_

He opened the door, peering into the room. His eyes widened.

"Oh _hell yeah_. This is _awesome_," he said. The room adjoined to his current one was nearly exactly the same, minus the coffin and gap, and had thousands of statues of different Gods and Goddesses in it, all life-size and made of marble, somehow preserved impossibly well through the centuries of neglect. At the other end of the room were three giant thrones that took up the entire wall, with three giant Goddesses that he assumed were the Sidoans' versions of Nayru, Farore, and Din sitting on them. To top it all off, where the coffin should've been was an enormous chest that was more than five times its size, no doubt filled with all sorts of valuable treasures. The floor was patterned in ancient symbols of all types.

Without the word, 'trap' ever crossing his mind, Kana walked up to the chest, through the rows of statues, and opened it.

"Holy _crap._"

Inside there wasn't a single piece of gold or a valuable keepsake to be found. Instead, there were weapons and armor. Lots of weapons and _lots_ of armor. Kana picked up an exquisitely made sword with an untarnished, pure silver blade and a golden hilt inlaid with three jewels; a ruby, an emerald, and a sapphire – no doubt standing for Din, Farore, and Nayru. He threw his old sword aside, fitting the new one to his belt.

Inlaid with velvet at the bottom, the gigantic chest was, essentially, a weapons case.

Strolling through the rows of statues, studying each one, Kana soon found two he liked especially, standing side by side.

They were both Goddesses, and nearly identical to each other in looks. They both had a rather kind expression on their faces, and were in simple dresses, one black, the other white. One held a magical tome emblazoned with the symbol of Life, and the other a small white ball with the symbol of Fate, or Death.

The sisters of Iniria (the root of the word Inir), Goddess of Life and Telmiasa (the root of the word Telmin), Goddess of Fate, both extremely powerful entities.

"_Wow, they're really nice-looking,"_ Kana thought. _"Whoever made these must've been extremely skilled."_

He continued onward, pausing at the sight of the statue of a small girl holding the hand of another, older version of herself. On their foreheads were the same symbol; a straight vertical line with a u-shape split straight down the middle stuck on it. Kana gave a slight bow to the statue, which represented the two chosen forms of Asinaya, Goddess of Judgement.

The next statue he encountered was the statue of his namesake; Kana, God of Foresight. He was in a monk's habit, and was studying a book with his symbol on the cover, a circle floating above a horizontal line. Kana had always wondered why he was named after such a holy entity, when he had what seemed like the worst of luck, usually charged into situations without thinking first, and obviously, he looked nothing like the statue.

He then passed by a long line of unrecognizable Gods and Goddesses, probably either minor or long-forgotten. He whispered an apology to each of them at their curse of not being honored.

Kana came to a stop at the statue of a Goddess so much like Siria, he had to stare. She held a blade in her hand, bearing a fierce expression as she lifted it to the sky, probably giving a war cry. A symbol of a sword was on her hand.

"_Okay, that's _beyond_ weird,"_ Kana thought in amazement. The statue depicted Kenara, the Goddess of the Sword. _"She looks _exactly_ like Siria."_

The next one was Yarino, Goddess of the Spear, and following her was Onota, God of the Axe. Then it was Yumita, Goddess of the Bow. After that it was Yune, Goddess of Chaos, and Ashera, Goddess of Order. At the end of the long row, slightly larger than all the others (as were all the ones at the end), stood a statue of Taisen, God of War. At the other end of the row stood a similar statue of Tatakai, God of Battle, his brother.

There were still many statues Kana hadn't seen, and he wished he could continue, but he got a nagging feeling that told him he should check on the others first. However, when he got to the door – or where the door was _supposed_ to be – all he found was a solid wall. He gave a sigh, telling himself not to panic.

"_I really wish someone upstairs liked me a little better,"_ he thought wistfully, putting his back to the wall and sinking to the floor. He stared at the faces of the many statues, who seemed as serene as they'd ever been.

"Well, at least _they're_ here," He muttered. "I'd hate being trapped alone." He rolled his eyes, sighing once more and settling into a comfortable position.

"_If I'm gonna be here 'till I starve, I might as well get comfortable,"_ he told himself. _"…I'm thirsty already, dammit…"_

He stood, taking out his flask and sipping a little bit of his water. His new sword caught the light from a skylight high above, glinting. Kana looked at it, then sat back down, removing it from his belt and laying it aside.

"_Think, Kana, think…" _His eyes scanned the floor of the room through many pairs of stone legs and feet. _"All right, maybe one of them has a clue."_

He sighed, realizing it would never work; he'd have to search each statue thoroughly; it'd be weeks before he finished, as many as there were. He eventually got tired of sitting, and wandered through the rows once more, inspecting each statue with interest all while hoping halfheartedly that maybe the _next_ one would hold a clue.

He nearly smacked himself as the realization hit him; the Goddess of Doors' statue! She'd have the way out, no doubt.

Of course, now he needed to _find_ her, a near impossible task.

"_Maybe they're in a certain order or something…"_ His eyes glanced at the first row he had gone through. _"That one seems to be based off warfare, or something… But then, why are the Goddesses of Judgement, Fate, and Life there?"_

Had he been able to view the room from above, he would have noticed that one of the statues glinted slightly in the sunlight. However he was not able to do so.

He snorted in frustration, leaning against the Goddess of Fate's statue, resting from his search. The fact that the room was quite warm did nothing to help him as warmth suddenly flooded his shoulder.

"Don't touch," said am unfamiliar voice, and his shoulder exploded in pain an instant later. He gave a groan of pain, kneeling and clutching his shoulder. "You are not worthy."

A hooded figure was walking towards him. It seemed to be swaying slightly… or was that his vision? The figure stopped in front of him, removing their hood.

It was a man, but Kana couldn't identify anything about him except that he had black hair and red eyes; he wore a mask over his face, and his entire body was covered in black assassin's clothing. He bore weapons all over; a dagger and two swords at his sides; an axe on his back; a belt around his waist that no doubt held some kind of poison; a spear in his hand. He knelt in front of Kana and did what Kana least expected him to do; he picked him up and slung him across his shoulders with incredible strength for his rather skinny figure.

"H-hey!" Kana shouted, wincing in pain from his shoulder. "Put me down!"

The man looked at him, his eyes half-open. "Do you want to live, kid?"

"Yeah, but…" Kana started, but was interrupted by the other.

"Then shut it."

Kana was getting really angry. This guy attacked him with a cheap attack from behind, picked him up, and expected him to keep quiet?

Kana raised a fist.

"Hit me, and I drop you, head first," the man said, not looking at him. Kana lowered his arm.

The man stopped at a statue of a Goddess holding a shining, pure golden key. The man, shifting Kana to one shoulder, took it, and continued until he reached where the door was supposed to be. He pushed it forward, to Kana's disbelief, _through_ the wall. The wall seemingly disappeared, revealing an open door frame leading back to where Kana's group laid, still unconscious.

The man set him down, then walked to the coffin and sat on it, staring at Kana in silence.

"What?" Kana asked.

"I was supposed to kill you," the man started. "Changed my mind. You seem like a decent enough kid, and my employer's a bitch."

"And you're still here because…?" Kana questioned.

"Simple. I'm waiting for your friends to wake up. Then I'll kill them."

"_Is this guy serious?" _Kana thought, staring.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely. What I'm doing right now is giving you a chance to run. I suggest you take it, before my sister gets here. She is not as… _merciful_ as I am."

Kana stared at him in shock, then slowly stood, settling into a basic Aikido position.

"That's unwise. I suggest you leave, _now._ Last chance."

Kana glared at him. "You threaten my friends, you threaten _me_. Fight me, without weapons."

"I tried to warn you." The man sighed, removing all his blades and equipment and standing. He settled into a stance.

"How will you attack me from over there, eh?" Kana asked smugly.

"Arrogance is your undoing, Thurane Kana," a feminine voice whispered in his ear. "You are so much unlike your sister… or how she _was_."

Kana found himself unable to move, as one blade was held to his neck, another to his stomach.

"My sister is still alive," he told the woman, staring straight forward, sweat running down his face.

"Really?" She purred, pushing the first knife just a little harder into his skin. "I doubt _that._ Now, be a good boy, and I might make your death a _slight_ bit faster. I doubt it, though."

"_Man… she's serious… She even knows who I am… Did Masori send her?"_ Kana thought, his mind racing furiously. His eyes widened.

"_Wait… where's Styx?"_ The black-haired woman was nowhere in sight, suspiciously absent from her place beside Romani.

"Ever heard the phrase, 'Karma's a bitch,' Ashini?" Styx asked coolly, pressing her spear into the woman's back. The woman pressed just a bit harder. A trickle of blood ran down Kana's neck.

"Ever heard the phrase, 'you stab me, I gut him?'" The woman snarled in reply. "I should've known you weren't dead."

"It takes more than being tied to a chair during a fire to kill me," Styx growled. "Try your luck, see what happens. If you harm him, I will make _sure_ your death is slow."

Kana listened in stunned surprise. He had never heard Styx sound so… _cruel_. She was one of the nicest people he'd ever known.

"You sure know how to make friends, even for a heartless bitch," the woman said. "Were you not going to kill him yourself?"

"Never. I'm done with being an assassin, and I'm done with you, Ashini."

"You had a change of heart for the worse, fool," the woman, dubbed Ashini, snorted. "Do you not remember that this boy's father killed your own, and mine as well? Or did you forget?"

"I am beyond that."

Ashini wasn't paying too much attention to him, Kana observed. He stared the male assassin in the eye. The man stared right back, as if saying, _"I told you so."_

Kana shifted ever so slightly, without Ashini's observation. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, Styx," Kana said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"If you ever meet my sister, tell her that her brother's AWESOME!" Kana slammed his elbow into Ashini's gut, hard. She groaned, loosening her grip. Kana immediately bolted, slamming into the man full speed, pinning him against the coffin.

"_This_ is for my shoulder," he told him, punching him in the face. "_This_ is for threatening my comrades." He punched him again. "And _THIS_ IS FOR TELLING ME TO ABANDON MY FRIENDS!" His fist slammed into the man's face, knocking him unconscious.

He stood, to see that Ashini was on the ground, Styx poised to impale her, her foot on Ashini's stomach.

Ashini looked much different than Kana thought she would. She had white hair and green eyes, and her face didn't seem suited to the look of hatred she was giving Styx.

"Wait," he told Styx, raising a hand. "Just… just wait a second."

He approached the two, crouching by Ashini's head. He looked her in the eyes, noticing that they were slightly clouded with what he assumed was either anger or revenge… or both. "Why did you try to kill my friends? _I_ am one thing, but my friends are another."

Ashini glared at him. "Hmph. You have a strong sense of the foolish idea they call, 'honor.' What a brainless idiot you are. Strength comes from within, not from other fools like you."

Kana abandoned crouching and got on his knees. He leaned in to whisper in Ashini's ear.

"You know, you're in the exact same position I was in just a minute ago. I'm an assassin, too. You know why I haven't killed you yet?"

"I couldn't care less, you fucking idiot," Ashini responded viciously. "I would rather you do so _today,_ if you're going to."

"Evil, but not heartless," Kana murmured to himself, leaning back and looking her in the eyes again, noting, as he had when he had looked in them before, some cloudiness in them. "I have a gift. Do you know what it is?"

"Hmph."

"I guess that's a no. Here, I'll _show _you what it is," Kana told her. He looked at Styx and jerked his head to the side, indicating for her to let Ashini go.

"Stand," Kana commanded, a blade at her neck. Ashini did so silently, still glaring at him.

"So what is this _gift_ of yours, moron?" Ashini snorted. Kana looked her straight in the eyes as he did before.

"My gift is compassion, the ability to care for those around me, and to forgive someone no matter what. Honor doesn't have, never had, and will never have anything to do with it. Some people have to learn compassion, have it showed to them over and over, before they gain it. I get the feeling you are one of these."

"Compassion and mercy are for assholes like you. Can I die now?"

"No," Kana told her, removing the knife and throwing it aside. "Welcome to the group, Ashini."

Styx and Ashini gaped at him as he walked away, checking to see if he'd broken Ronin's nose or not.

"Styx?" Ashini asked, not moving.

"Yeah?"

"As a former assassin, I ask that you fulfill a last wish of mine."

"What's that?"

"Kill me now, please."

XxxX

Kana sat, watching the two women gawk at him, wondering if he'd just made a good decision or a horrible mistake. This woman, Ashini, had _seemed_ to get it. All hostility had faded from her face, to be replaced with a look that could only be described as, _"What. The. Fuck."_

"I can't decide if you're an idiot or a genius." Vaati, who had been faking sleep nearly the entire time, stood up and sat beside him, studying the two women.

"_I_ can't decide if I'm an idiot or a bigger idiot." Kana rubbed his temples. "You weren't going to let me die, were you?"

"Maybe. It seems I owe her an apology," Vaati murmured, nodding at Styx.

"It seems so," Kana replied. "But that can wait. Come on, this is cool." He led her to the room filled with statues. Vaati looked at them in awe.

"Wow. I guess the demon was guarding something after all," Vaati said, amazement evident even on her usually veiled countenance.

"That's not all. Open the chest," Kana prodded. Vaati walked up to the chest and did so. Her eyes immediately went wide.

"These are beautiful," she breathed reverently, holding up a set of white robes much like her current ones, adorned with the symbol of the Goddess of Magic, Mystara, which was a simple sideways eye with the symbols for the word 'magic' in the pupil. She gave him a sideways look. "Kana, I hope you realize what these are?"

"Uh… they're robes, right?"

Vaati laughed, suddenly seeming a lot more open than Kana had ever seen her with her emotions. "Not the robes, Kana. The items in the chest."

Kana looked inside. "It's just weapons and armor."

"They're far from _just_ weapons and armor. They're _blessed_ weapons and armor. This is an offering chest."

"Then isn't taking these things out of the chest sacrilegious?" Kana inquired, glancing at his new sword.

"What's the point of weapons and armor if they're not being used for what they were made for?" Vaati laughed. "I think the Goddesses will pardon us, and if not, may Fate strike me down where I stand."

Nothing happened, so Kana assumed they were, indeed, pardoned. He helped Vaati continue to root through the chest. Suddenly, his hand touched the bottom, and he heard a click.

The floor started to shake underneath them, and the chest started rising off the floor on a pillar of marble that came directly out of it. Then, a long, thin fissure opened up, and a massive wall about ten feet high and spanning the entire length of the room rose out, covered in yet more weapons on one side of the pillar, and armor on the other. Kana realized it wasn't much of a wall-

-it was pretty much an _armory_.

"This is _cool._" Kana grinned.

Vaati nodded, stepping forward and removing a set of black lightly made armor made out of what Kana _assumed_ was Moonstone. "Come here," she told him.

He walked over to her and turned around. "Have you ever fitted someone before?" He questioned.

"No. But it can't be too hard to learn, right?" Vaati replied. She tightened his greaves as he worked on sliding on his gauntlets.

"Ow," he grunted, as Vaati accidently tightened a greave just a bit too much.

"Sorry."

She then moved on to help him put on his very thin breastplate, finishing with a shoulder guard, like the ones archers usually wore.

"How do I look?"

She turned him around to face her. "Like a young man in black armor, what else?"

"You know what I mean."

"Oh, absolutely _handsome_," she replied with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Dropping the matter, he help up his shield and studied it, like something was bothering him. "It's weird… doesn't feel like I'm wearing it at all."

"Maybe that's the blessing," Vaati told him.

"Maybe." Kana leaned against the wall. His body suddenly seemed to be absorbed into the shadows, to the point where Vaati could barely see his face.

"Enchanted assassin's armor. Now _this_ could be useful," he said. He stepped out, instantly normal again. "Let's keep looking."

He took off the armor and laid it on the floor for later.

"Is this… a dress?" Vaati asked in confusion. She had found a very skimpy... something akin to a violet dress. It was like one, but it had an open chest area with a same-color bra attached to both ends.

"It looks like it," Kana replied slowly. "What does it do?"

"Turn around. I'll tell you when you can look. _No peeking_."

Kana compliantly turned around, hearing nothing but the rustle of cloth for a full five minutes, before it suddenly went silent…

And something extremely soft pressed against his back. His face immediately flushed as Vaati's arms encircled him, holding him tight.

"Oh, Kana…" She sighed loudly. "I love you…"

"_W-wha?"_ Kana screamed in his head. Vaati breathed on his ear gently.

"Why aren't you answering? Is it because you don't feel the same?" She whispered.

"Um… Uh… Ah… I…"

"Yes…?" Vaati purred. "What is it…?"

"…I… Um…"

Her hands slid down his chest, then under his shirt and upwards.

"_This can't be right!" _Kana was shouting in his mind, but his body wouldn't react.

"If you don't love me…" Vaati lifted up his shirt slowly, lifting his arms for him. "…I'll make you…"

"_Th-the dress! It's gotta be the dress! There's no way Vaati would do something like this, right? …right?"_ Kana's mind raced furiously.

"Um… ah… Vaati…"

"Oh? Are you admitting you love me after all?" She breathed, her chest rubbing against his back in slow, wide circles. Kana was made painfully aware of two rock-hard points pressing into it.

"…V-Vaati… could you… um…"

"Mmm?" Vaati's hand skimmed down to his navel, slowly creeping down from there. "Did you… say something?"

"Let go!" He shouted fiercely, fighting free of her grasp and turning around. His nose immediately exploded with blood.

It was skimpier than it had seemed on the wall, the hem of the dress being more of a short skirt. The bra was already half-undone, leaving only half of Vaati's chest covered. Kana saw a small circle of pink against pale white skin, and his mind snapped, resulting in his immediate fainting.

XxxX

"Kana…" Saimana's gentle voice shook him awake. His eyes snapped awake, and he flew upwards into a sitting position.

He was still in front of the wall, and Saimana was crouching next to him, with a passed-out Vaati not too far away, in her normal clothes again. The treacherous dress lay in shreds around her.

"What happened?" Kana asked in a panic.

"I'm guessing you fainted from blood loss, but you should be okay now. It seems the dress Vaati was…" Saimana coughed, her cheeks flushing. "_…_I suppose _wearing_ is the correct word, but… In any case, it seems the dress she was wearing had the effect of making the wearer's mind… clouded. I found her… um… rubbing… against your body, and I subdued her."

Kana reddened. "W-will she be okay now?"

Saimana nodded. "She'll be fine." Changing the subject, she looked at the wall. "This room is quite the find on your part. Although…" Her expression fell. "The statue of Telmiasa looks exactly like her..."

Kana was reminded that Saimana was, indeed, half-goddess. "You miss her, don't you?"

Saimana looked at him with a disconcerted expression. "More with every passing day. Don't you feel the same about your own parents? They must be extremely worried about you."

Kana suddenly went rigid, struggling to maintain the calm mask on his face. "My parents are dead, Saimana-san," he replied through clenched teeth.

"Oh... I'm sorry, I should have realized."

"You didn't know. It's not your fault," Kana responded automatically in a steely tone, stopping further conversation by standing up and inspecting the armory-like wall once more, this time on the weapons side.

XxxX

"My head…" Siria groaned, curling up in a ball. She had just awoken, and the worst headache she'd ever had was assaulting her in full force.

"_I don't want to open my eyes, I don't want to get up…" _Siria thought. She vaguely remembered the battle (if you could call something so one-sided a battle) from before, but couldn't bring herself to care through the migraine.

"Here," a gentle voice told her, and she felt a hand on her forehead. She felt warmth flood into her, and the migraine was gone almost instantly.

Siria blinked a couple times as her eyes focused. She had been expecting Saimana, and instead was surprised to see Arinia crouching over her.

"Better?" Arinia asked. Siria noticed a bruise on her cheek.

"Much," Siria responded. "Thanks."

The redhead stood as Arinia walked away, observing with surprise that there were two new people in the room, and Kana, Saimana, and Vaati were suspiciously absent. One of the newcomers was a black-haired man, slumped over the coffin of the Huntress, out cold. The other one was a woman with strange white hair, who was speaking to Styx, leaning against the wall.

Aran was still unconscious, laying on the floor on Siria's side of the room, and Romani was about ten feet away, snoring loudly. There were large amounts of dried blood on the floor, but no one seemed hurt aside from the bruise on Arinia's cheek.

Strangely, a lone knife lay in the middle of the floor. She had never seen its like before; it had a black blade, and a dark red grip with a small spike at the bottom. She picked it up curiously, then dropped it immediately as she experienced a burning sensation. A black mark formed on her palm where she had held the grip. She stared at it in shocked pain, clutching her wrist instinctively.

The conscious newcomer looked at her and spoke with an annoyed voice. "That's my brother's. Don't touch."

"Who are you?" Siria asked, her unburned hand moving to rest on the hilt of her sword.

"My name is Moroke Ashini, and that man is Moroke Ronin. I assume Styx didn't tell you about us if you didn't know that we were sent to kill you."

Styx looked away as Siria glared at her. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Uh… because you never asked?" Styx offered meekly. "I thought I could just, you know…" Her foot traced circles on the floor. "Start over…"

Siria sighed, drawing her sword. "Those words. 'Start over.' They usually mean someone has turned from a dark past to a bright future. Styx, I'm going to ask you once; who are you, who sent you, and are you going to kill us or not?"

Styx answered quietly. "My name is Styx Perisan, as you know. I, along with Ronin Moroke and Ashini Moroke, used to hold a rather central position in the Usanian assassin order. We were hired by Masori no Arkonia to assassinate Thurane Kana."

Siria looked surprised. "Why would the dictator of Arkon want Kana-kun dead? He's just one person."

Styx and Ashini glanced at each other. Ashini coughed and motioned for Styx to answer.

Styx looked at Siria. "He never told you?"

"Told me what?" Siria asked impatiently. Styx took a deep breath, then spoke.

"Siria… Kana's the Prince of Arkonia."

XXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER V

END

XXXX

**A/N; Man, this one took forever to finish!**

**...**

**...**

**Though, I suppose that's mostly my fault...**

**So, um...**

**...Review?**


	6. Chapter VI

Forever, My Love

Chapter VI

**A/N; Yeah, so this one was delayed considerably due to… *ahem*… motivational reasons. But not to worry, it's finally here! *Stone knocks me on head***

XxxX

Siria stared at Styx in bewilderment and shock, her eyes and expression reflecting it perfectly. "What… I'm sorry, I thought you said…"

"You heard me right," Styx interrupted. "Kana is the Prince of Arkonia. He's the only one who threatens Masori's rule."

Siria's mind was sent reeling with questions. _"Kana? But… he's so young! How could… how could he be the heir? Why'd he hide it? Who is he really?"_

XxxX

Siria had refrained from asking Kana anything about his past so far. The group had left the ruin of the temple, continuing through the forest for three days before coming upon another ruin, which they camped in front of for the night.

Her companions' gentle snores around her, along with the rustle of the leaves in trees, Siria sat a short distance away, keeping watch while the same questions swirled around in her head, adding to the already chaotic realm of her mind. The closer they traveled to Hyrule, the more uncertainty filled her.

How would she ever kill someone like Ganondorf? Even her mother couldn't do it.

How powerful was he?

Was she really the right person for the job? Had Saimana been wrong?

And lastly, if she managed to make it back to Hyrule in the first place, what would she find?

These unanswerable questions and more filled her head, only adding to her dread and shaking what little confidence she had.

Even though she was supposed to be watch, Siria felt her eyelids growing heavier with each passing second, and soon, she was asleep.

XxXx

"_Oh Nayru," I whisper, as the door to the Temple of Time slams shut behind me._

_This is wrong._

_In front of me is not the lively city that should be Castle Town._

_No, instead, the wind howls through nearly empty streets filled with ruins of buildings. Redeads shuffle along the streets in their ragged limp, shrieking horribly. The entire city is empty except for these dead freaks. I can feel the cold already closing around me, so much unlike the warm Temple of Time. The dry, freezing wind chills me to the bone. It reeks of death and blood._

_If the sun even exists, it's not breaking through the black clouds hanging over the ruined city. I huddle into a ball right there on the steps, trying to suppress my sobs._

_I fail miserably._

"_Nothing…" I sob, my shoulders heaving as tears stream down my face. "No one's… left…"_

_What can I do? I'm just a little kid in an adult's body, after all. There's no way one person could stop someone who could do something… something like this. It's impossible._

"_I…" I cry. "I'm sorry, Zelda… I can't do it…"_

_Something flashes through my mind. Something about what I just said._

_Zelda._

_It's all for her._

_Everything._

_I'll suffer. I'll probably face death several hundred times, as I have already, but…_

_If it's for Zelda, I can do it. Because I need to see her face again, hear her voice, if only once…_

_I stand, wiping the tears from my eyes. I draw the Master Sword from its sheath. In the darkness of the cold, dead town, it glows with a faint blue light. As I hold it, warmth pours into me, along with just enough confidence._

_I can do it._

_For Zelda._

_I'm going to kill him._

_Because I'll see her again._

xXxX

Linika sat beside a fire in her cabin, raising a mug of steaming tea to her lips. Like the night, so long ago, when she had failed to stop Ganondorf the first time, it was raining torrentially.

Her eyes closed and she sighed. Her senses, no longer heightened by the Triforce, could still warn her that the rain was unnatural. That could only mean one thing, in a land so integrated with magic it couldn't be changed by it.

His return was close at hand.

She stared into the fire, as if it held the solution to the situation. Obviously, it didn't, and she could only hope Siria would return in time.

"_Please…"_ She pleaded with her daughter's patron, Farore. _"Speed her return…"_

XxxX

"Get up!" A voice shouted.

Siria came around slowly, and when she opened her eyes, she could see Ashini's furious and disapproving face above her.

"You were supposed to be watch, you useless idiot!" Ashini told her furiously. Siria sat up, her back stiff from sleeping on the ground. She yawned, then opened her eyes with her temper flaring at the white-haired woman.

She stood and glared back at Ashini. "Oh, I'm _sorry_, I didn't _realize_ you had more important things than saving the world on your mind. Perhaps you've revoked your decision to let us live, assassin bitch? Or maybe you're hungry, seeing as you can't cook?"

"At least I do my job right! You can't even stay awake a few hours to keep watch! Really, you expect me to think someone like you is the legendary Hero of Time?! You're a joke, at best!"

Siria's angry expression faltered for a moment, but only a moment. "At least I'm not a coward who hides in the shadows! There's no honor in the assassin's technique!"

"Both of you, shut it." Styx's voice floated down to them. They looked up, to see her sitting on a tree branch with her back to the trunk. She was glaring at them.

"Siria's been pushing herself harder than any of us lately, so in all fairness, she probably needed the rest more than any of us. Out of all of us, I think she's the _only_ one who can defeat this Ganondorf person. Just because she fell asleep on watch doesn't mean she's incompetent. Even if the fact that she did annoys me, I don't care either way. We're all safe and healthy, and I'd prefer if we stay that way, especially in the middle of this gigantic forest. Now's not the time to be fighting."

Ashini's expression no longer displayed anger, but she was still annoyed. "You're right, but I still don't think she's the perfect one to defeat Ganondorf."

XxxX

Kana stood in front of the ruin they were camped at. A short distance away to his left, Siria and Ashini quarreled over something. To his right, Saimana, Vaati, Aran, Arinia, Ronin and Romani packed up.

He just stood there, staring at it. Instead of a temple, it looked more like an entire monastery. It wasn't nearly as old as the temple, and was in much better shape, almost like it had recently been inhabited.

Something was odd about this place. It didn't hum with magic like the temple had, but there was something weird, out of place. He couldn't place it.

Which was why he wanted to go inside.

"Hey, guys!" He called. "Come here!"

"In a minute!" Came the reply from Vaati. Soon they all stood beside him, also staring at the ruin.

"Don't tell me…" Arinia began, a sweatdrop forming on her forehead. "You want to explore this one, too?"

"Why not?" Kana asked.

"Let's see, you mean _besides_ the fact we almost died because of a super-powerful immortal demon last time?" Siria responded sarcastically. "No reason."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Kana replied, instantly making everyone else besides Ronin (who never displayed any emotion behind his mask) flinch.

XxxX

Kana and Ronin heaved against the massive oak gate doors that were the entrance to the sanctuary. They opened with a groan of protest, swinging open.

Inside the walls of the ruin was something of a small town. There was a small building to their immediate left that no doubt had served as the gatehouse. Ahead of them, a stone path led up to the aforementioned monastery. On the right were two rows of abandoned houses. The path split off to become a street that the houses lined on either side. Anywhere the road was not barring it, grass and flowers grew plentifully.

While it seemed uninhabited, aside from the lack of residents, there was no evidence of such; the gatehouse, monastery, and houses were all free of overgrown vegetation, unlike the temple from before.

"It looks so… new," Siria said for all of them. "It looks like it's in perfect shape…"

"Like someone still lives here," Saimana finished for her, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "We'd better be careful."

The warriors cautiously entered the sanctuary, moving forward slowly. Many of their hands strayed to their weapons, in case they had to use them.

They first approached the monastery, and they were about to open the doors when they heard a loud slam. They whirled.

In front of them was a completely new scene; instead of well-kept, clean sanctuary, what they saw horrified them.

All the grass and flowers had disappeared, leaving only black dirt behind. The trees of the surrounding forest were now dead and bare. The houses that were before in reasonably good condition were now in varying states of neglect and ruin, with caved-in or holed roofs, doors that were either completely ripped off their hinges or barely hanging, and spiky black ivy growing over them, making them crumble more than they already had. The entrance gate was missing the left door, and the right one was only just hanging on. The sky above was black, but not in the nighttime sense; neither the stars nor the moon were visible. Wind howled throughout the entire place ominously. When they turned, the monastery also suffered from the same state of neglect as everything else.

Glancing at each other in confusion and hopelessness, they opened the doors.

It was like a church; a large Triforce symbol hung from the ceiling by one chain at the other end of the room, tilting. It was cracked, and the corner of the Courage segment was gone completely, laying on the floor below, where it had no doubt broken off long ago.

Ruined and rotting oak pews were scattered about the room. At the end of the aisle, a cracked altar stood below the Triforce symbol. Smashed glass from ancient stained glass windows littered the room. When they stepped forward, dust flew everywhere, making a few of them cough.

Without warning, Siria fell to her knees, clutching her head and screaming in pain. On the backs of her hands, the symbol of the Triforce of Courage burned brightly with nearly blinding golden light.

"NO! YOU CAN'T!" Siria screamed. "SHE'S DONE NOTHING TO YOU! YOU MUSTN'T!"

Tears flowed in streams down her face as she assumed the fetal position, shaking. "N-NO! SAIMANA! SAIMANA! Y-YOU CAN'T! PLEASE, DON'T! YOU CAN'T DIE!"

Another bright light attracted their attention as Siria continued screaming and crying. The hanging Triforce symbol was shining with a faint golden light. A ringing noise filled their ears as it started to shine brighter and brighter, until the chain holding it snapped and it shattered against the stone floor. Instantly, everything returned to normal; The Triforce symbol once again hung from the ceiling, now by two chains that kept it balanced perfectly. The oak pews were restored to perfect condition, the windows were no longer shattered, and the sun shined brightly through them.

The only evidence that anything had ever happened was Siria's position on the floor. Her Triforce symbols faded rapidly, and she stood, wiping away the remaining tears. Her teeth were gritted in an attempt to remain calm.

Saimana stepped up to Siria, leaning in to whisper so only Siria could hear.

"Are you alright?" She whispered, her arms instinctively circling around her wife.

"I am now," Siria lied, nuzzling Saimana's cheek and returning the hug. Tears threatened once again at the corners of her eyes.

"You're a horrible liar, Siria," Saimana replied softly, pulling back and looking Siria in the eyes. She placed a gentle kiss on Siria's lips and retreated from the embrace.

Siria looked at the rest of them. "We're getting out of here. _Now._"

They nodded assent, exiting the monastery slowly. When most of the group stood by the gate, Siria looked back from the entrance of the monastery a single time, her gaze lingering on the Triforce symbol for a few moments.

Her eyes narrowed, then she shut the doors and turned to rejoin the rest of them.

XxxX

As the group settled down for the night, Siria stood a short distance away, staring into the dark shadows of the forest. Her mind was occupied with the events of that morning.

"_Was that… a vision?"_ She asked herself. Whereas the rest of them had seen a neglected form of the monastery, Siria had seen something completely different.

XxXx

_Fire burned around Ganondorf and Siria in a ring. Siria held a sword in her hands like no other she'd seen. It glowed a bright blue. Blood poured from multiple wounds all over her body, including one on her forehead that forced her to close her right eye tightly. Ganondorf seemed almost unscathed. Below him, on a rocky and torn up ground, Saimana was unconscious._

_With rage in his eyes, the Gerudo man raised his sword._

"_NO! YOU CAN'T! SHE'S DONE NOTHING TO YOU! YOU MUSTN'T!" Siria screamed. Ganondorf was deaf to her pleas. He thrust his sword through Saimana's chest, making blood erupt from the new wound._

_Whatever happened next was a blur, until Siria held a dying Saimana in her arms while Ganondorf stood a short distance away, sneering wickedly._

"_N-NO! SAIMANA! SAIMANA! YOU CAN'T! PLEASE, DON'T! YOU CAN'T DIE!" Siria shrieked, her voice hoarse. Tears poured down her cheeks._

_Saimana raised a hand to her cheek. She smiled lovingly._

"_Siria…" She whispered, her thumb wiping away her wife's tears. "Why are you crying?"_

"_Saimana…" Siria's voice cracked and dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Don't leave m…"_

_Saimana put her finger to Siria's lips, shaking her head slowly. "Don't… I love you, Siria…"_

_Siria sobbed as Saimana whispered, "We'll meet again… Siria…" With those words, her hand fell to her side, and her eyes dulled. The rise and fall of her chest ceased._

xXxX

Siria couldn't stop thinking about it. Was it a vision? Was Saimana doomed to die?

"Saimana…" She whispered.

"Siria," a gentle voice murmured in her ear. Two arms circled around her waist from behind. "I'm right here…"

Siria let her tears begin to flow as she leaned back into Saimana's embrace, tilting her head upwards. "M-Mana…" She choked out. "He… He killed…"

"Siria." Saimana's voice was firm. "Turn around."

Siria slowly complied, until she was staring into Saimana's red eyes. They closed their eyes, and Saimana pressed her lips against Siria's, giving her all the reassurance that words couldn't. Siria melted into the kiss, heaving with silent sobs, letting all her feelings of frustration, confusion, doubt, fear, and desperation from the past four years pour into the kiss.

When they broke, Saimana held Siria's head to her chest as Siria cried.

While the rest of the group slept, the two stood there, the moonlight illuminating the scene.

"I don't want to lose you…" Siria sobbed. Saimana offered no reply, only rocking her slowly.

When Siria calmed, she sniffed and gave a weak laugh. "And _I'm_ supposed to be the strong one here, too."

Saimana looked at her. "It does not matter."

She gently eased Siria to the forest floor, laying beside her.

"We should really sleep in a bedroll…" Siria was interrupted when Saimana kissed her again, and this time, it was a little more forceful.

Saimana's lips trailed from Siria's mouth to her ear, nibbling softly.

"Right here is fine…" She told her wife softly, gently moving her mouth to Siria's neck, where she bit softly, then massaged the spot with her tongue.

"Ah…" Siria gasped. "Mana… The others… They're asleep…"

"We'll just have to be careful, won't we?" Saimana whispered seductively, giving Siria's neck another small lick.

"Nnn… But…" Siria was interrupted as Saimana pinched one of her nipples. "Ah!"

Needless to say, neither of them got any sleep that night.

XxxX

Vaati sighed at the back of the group.

"_No sleep… Damn those two!"_ She screamed in her head. Saimana and Siria's activities had kept the already awake Vaati from going to sleep at all, even when they themselves fell asleep at about an hour past midnight.

XxxX

Nabooru gazed at Linika levelly. "Are you sure?"

The two women were in the heart of the Gerudo Fortress, in Nabooru's room. They sat across from one another at a small wooden table. Linika had come requesting training from Nabooru.

Linika inclined her head at the banner on the wall next to the table. It had the symbols of the Sages embroidered on its cloth. "You are a Sage. The fact that you'll outlive me is without question, but that doesn't matter. My sword skill has seemingly left me, and I want you to reteach me. I am old, Nabooru, but I'm not dead yet. As the former Hero of Time, it's a given that I must assist the current one with all my strength."

Nabooru shifted her position. "I can't, Linika. As I am no longer leader of this fortress, it's not up to me. You'll just have to swallow that stubborn pride of yours and ask Aveil."

Linika snorted, her long, pointed ears twitching with the motion. "I'd rather kiss a moblin. I still cannot understand why you stepped down from your position."

"Come now, do you expect me to be a Sage and the ruler of the Gerudo at the same time?" Nabooru responded. "If you're really that desperate, why not ask Impa?"

"I would love to, if I could get into the castle," Linika said through gritted teeth. "I don't know what Zelda's doing, shutting herself in there all of a sudden, but she hasn't done anything in the past two months."

"Could it be possible that Ganondorf has…" Nabooru began quietly.

"You and I both know that if Ganondorf had already returned, there'd be a massive disturbance. Hyrule has not reacted violently, and her weather would warn us. Seeing as the worst we've had is rain... No," Linika shook her head. "Zelda has a plan; I just don't know what it is."

Her frustrated expression cracked for a second, but only a second. Even so, Nabooru caught the sudden weakness.

"My friend," she said softly. "You still love her, don't you?"

Linika's façade instantly shattered and she launched herself at her longtime friend, crying in her arms. "…Y-yes…" She sobbed. "…I just can't stop thinking about her, ever since Siria left… I keep dreaming…" She broke off into incoherent sobs.

Nabooru held her friend carefully. "Shh... I'm sure you'll see her again…" She told Linika soothingly.

"B-but… What if she doesn't… doesn't love me anymore?" Linika buried her face in Nabooru's shoulder.

Nabooru smiled, shaking her head. "I have no doubt that she misses you just as much as you miss her, Link…"

Linika raised her head, smiling through her tears at the Spirit Sage. "I-idiot." She flicked Nabooru on the forehead. "I-I'm Linika now, r-remember?"

Nabooru gave a small laugh. "You may be a woman on the outside, but to me, you'll always be that handsome young man who rescued me in the Spirit Temple."

Linika wiped away her tears, sitting back down. "And if I was still a man…?" She leaned forward. Nabooru grinned.

"I'd tie you down on that bed over there," she tilted her head towards said piece of lavish furniture. "And make you forget you ever loved someone else."

Linika chuckled. "You did that the first couple times you saw me after I became a woman anyway."

"But you love Zelda. So that's that. I'm absolutely sure she's fine, Link," Nabooru told her. "After all, she told me once that a strikingly handsome Hero promised her he'd always protect her."

Linika flushed. "She still remembers that?"

Nabooru nodded. "She's thinking about you just as much as you are her, Link. Besides, if you really wanted to get in… aren't you an expert at infiltration?"

"I'd try, but I can't fit my massive chest through the drain anymore," Linika laughed. "Believe me, if I'd obtained a mask in Termina that made me smaller, I'd use it constantly."

"Regarding Termina, it still troubles me that there's no alternate me there."

"I told you, there is, she just has Aveil's name," Linika responded. She started in surprise when Nabooru reached into the chest next to the table and pulled out a startlingly familiar piece of equipment.

"How'd you get that?" Linika asked in shock as Nabooru placed the Longshot on the table.

"I had some of my best engineers replicate the design of your Longshot," Nabooru explained. "Don't worry; your original is still buried underneath the reconstructed castle."

"_Along with a bow, a quiver of arrows, a sack of bombs, and a shield,"_ Linika thought exasperatedly. _"And Nayru knows what else."_

"How am I supposed to use this to get in?" Linika asked, picking up the new Longshot.

"Thieving is all about creativity, I always say." Nabooru winked. "You'll find out a way..."

XxxX

"_I must be crazy. I'm too old for this,"_ Linika thought to herself, as she dangled hundreds of feet above ground by her hands. She was nearly on top of the roof of Hyrule Castle. The Longshot, which had already been used several times, was hooked on her belt securely. Instead of her usual attire, she chose to wear a replica of her old outfit of tunic and tights. They weren't fancy, but they were comfortable and perfect for adventuring-related things.

Such as infiltrating a castle while hanging hundreds of feet above the ground by one's hands.

Linika grabbed the edge of the roof with her gloved hand, soon doing the same with her other. With some difficulty, she pulled herself up onto the gigantic roof, panting. A few windows were here and there, but acted only as skylights. Linika had no idea which one would lead to Zelda.

The sweat-drenched middle-aged woman was berating herself mentally. _"You've gotten weak, Linika. You never even broke a sweat when you did things like this before."_

Of course, she had to admit that an extra four pounds of weight on her chest didn't help either.

XxxX

"_Another_ one?" Romani asked in exasperation as the group stumbled upon yet another ruin; this time, it was like a small castle. This was their eighteenth since the temple they had encountered the Huntress in the Pillar of Forest, four months ago, now.

While they all conversed about whether or not they should explore this one, Siria stood a small distance away, staring at her gloved hand. The symbol of the Triforce of Courage was shining through it brightly. It had progressively been appearing more and more over the past four months, ever since they had explored the ruin of the monastery. It usually faded within a few hours, but while it was visible, it felt like Siria's body was on fire.

"_Mother mentioned something about this before we left, I think…"_ She thought.

XxXx

"_So we have to go to this Crimea place and get trained by Ike?" Siria asked her mother. The two were alone in their cabin, preparing dinner. It had been two days since the occurrence at Lon Lon Ranch._

_Linika nodded without looking up from where she was slicing a potato. "You must be prepared to fight Ganondorf. Be warned, on the return journey, the symbol of the Triforce will appear on your hand frequently. It will hurt quite a bit. This will be a symbol that his return is near."_

_Siria looked at her mother, who did not continue, then sighed, returning to chopping a carrot._

xXxX

Siria gritted her teeth, feeling her mother hadn't quite done the pain of the symbol's appearance justice.

"Siria?" Saimana asked softly from behind her. Siria looked behind her.

"Is it still shining?" Saimana questioned. Siria nodded painfully. Usually, the symbol faded within a few hours, but this time, it had been on her hand for well over two days now, and Siria was beginning to suffer from lack of sleep.

In addition to the symbol not disappearing, the day before, Siria had just lightly touched the hilt of her sword, and the blade instantly shattered into dust, leaving her with only a hilt. Now she was without a weapon; Ronin had lent her a dagger, but that also shattered in her hands. She couldn't even make contact with Kana or Vaati; they both had residual Dark Magic in their bodies, Vaati as a Mage, and Kana with the mysterious seal on him. If she did so, they would both suffer an immense amount of pain and receive burn marks upon the point of contact.

"It hurts…" Siria said quietly to her wife, watching the others debate over the ruin. "There has to be a way to seal if off."

"We've still got about a year and a half until we reach Hyrule," Ashini told her, stepping over to them. "You're just going to have to put up with it."

Siria glared at her, the circles under her eyes suddenly becoming more prominent. "That's easy for you to say," she spat. "You're not the one who has to deal with this."

"You're right. I'm not. So put up with it," Ashini replied smoothly, turning and walking back to rejoin the rest of them. Siria was tempted to strangle her while her back was turned, but Saimana laid a hand on her shoulder, a silent message telling her to calm herself.

"She just doesn't understand your pain, Siria. It's not her fault. Leave her be," Saimana told her gently.

Siria stared after the white-haired in frustration. "But…" She trailed off.

XxxX

Ronin stood at the entrance to the ruined castle, staring at its entrance with unblinking red eyes. He tapped the wooden entrance gate with a finger.

XxxX

Everyone looked over when they heard the sound of a small explosion. Ronin stood in front of the entrance to the ruin, one finger outstretched as if pointing. Broken wood laid in pieces around him.

Without a word, he walked forward and disappeared into the entrance.

They all looked at each other, all thinking either, _"Do we even have a choice?"_ or, _"What the fuck?"_

They followed him.

XxxX

Inside, they were met with a totally unexpected sight; an almost completely empty white room with no other exits or entrances. About three hundred feet away, against the far wall, two large pillars stood on either side of a swirling mass of Dark Magic.

Aran's eyes widened. "If that's what I think it is, I think we could shorten our journey by at least a year."

"How?" Styx asked as they approached the mysterious mass of magic. They formed a half circle around it.

"This, no doubt, is one of the portals that Sidoa used to transport their troops, undetected, inside Hyrule. If we walk through it, we'll most likely end up somewhere in the middle of the desert that you call Laramoa. It all depends on where the other end is set up," Aran said. "It's your choice."

Before anyone could voice their opinion on this, the portal emitted a high-pitched ringing sound that made them cover their ears.

It swelled considerably, and started to pull them, like a magnet, towards itself. They couldn't do anything to stop it and there was nothing to hang on to in the room.

The first one to disappear into it was Romani. She was then followed by Kana. After Kana came Ashini, then Vaati, Aran, Arinia, Ronin, Styx, and Saimana.

When Siria had almost been sucked in, her Triforce Symbol seemingly exploded, blinding her.

When she opened her eyes, the portal was gone, and she was alone.

XxxX

Vaati's first conscious thought was that she heard rushing water. Barely thinking, she opened her eyes and sat up quickly, immediately groaning when her suspicion was proved correct.

The rest of the group lay scattered around a very familiar room with a collapsed ceiling and tarnished marble floor. Two fountains with pools were at opposite ends of the room, and next to one was a small black spot on the floor and a large pile of small animal's bones.

She was back in the last place she wanted to be.

The ruin of Ancient Hyrule Castle.

And worst of all, Siria wasn't among them.

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER VI

END

XXXXX

**I'm honestly not really sure what to say about this one. It was mostly filler, aside from the monastery and the portal, so I don't really have any positive or negative thoughts about it. It's not the longest chapter, either, but it'll have to do.**

**By the way, the second chapter of Aronians is more than fifty pages long! But you'll just have to wait… *Evil laugh***

**That's pretty much it, so see ya!**


	7. Chapter VII

Forever, My Love

Chapter VII

Part A

**(A/N; I don't know what happened, but… we're getting closer and closer to the end of an already short story… This chapter is split into three parts because the flow just wouldn't seem right if it wasn't, and, as it's a pretty long chapter, I'm giving readers a place to pause from reading without dealing with a cliffhanger. See? I can be nice sometimes...)**

XxxX

Linika landed with a soft thud in the carpeted hallway leading to Zelda's room, looking around to see if there were any soldiers around. Luckily, there weren't. Glancing up at the open window she had come through, Linika stealthily made her way down the hall, knocking once on the door to the Queen of Hyrule's quarters.

"Hello?" Came a soft voice. "Who is it?"

Linika hesitated, then gently called back, "It's me."

There was the sound of someone standing, and then a thud shortly after, as if they had knocked over their chair in the process of doing so. As soon as she opened the door, Linika was greeted with the sight of the Queen standing beside her bed in her usual dress, fixing Linika with a cold stare. Linika noticed that the Queen had indeed knocked a chair over in her haste to stand.

"What are you doing here, Miss Avalon?" Zelda asked coolly, the red-haired woman flinching at the formal greeting.

Linika bowed her head. "I… I am sorry, My Queen. I… it has been so long, and I… I couldn't bear not seeing you anymore."

"Is that so?" Zelda took a step towards Linika, who flinched as she felt a hand on her cheek. "Look at me, Miss Avalon."

Linika complied, and she immediately wished she hadn't. The amount of pain displayed in Zelda's eyes was unbearable.

"M-My Queen?" She whispered, as Zelda leaned closer.

"Twenty-five years, Link," Zelda whispered, finally dropping the formality. Tears began to form in the Queen's eyes. "Twenty-five _years_. Why? Why could you never, in twenty-five years, find the time to visit me? Do you know how badly I've ached to see you? Do you know how much pain I've had to endure without you?"

"I-I'm sorry," was the only thing Linika could think to whisper, tearing up as well. Zelda began to lean in, and Linika inhaled sharply, her hands bracing against Zelda's shoulders in an attempt to push her away. However, her strength left her as Zelda's lips met her own.

The kiss was long and passionate, full of all the pain and anguish the two women had built up since their last meeting, twenty-five years before. When they finally parted, Linika found herself at a loss for words as Zelda embraced her tightly, beginning to sob into her shoulder.

"I've missed you so much, Link…" Zelda choked, as Linika managed to muster the courage to return the hug. Linika closed her eyes, sighing.

"And I, you... Zelda."

XxxX

Siria ducked out of the way of the moblin's spear, seizing it by the shaft and kicking the disgusting monster in the stomach, shoving him away and disarming him at the same time.

It had been a week since Siria had been left alone in the forest. Her Triforce symbol still hadn't faded. In addition, the forest now seemed populated by monsters, and the farther she moved east, the more they seemed to increase. Currently, she was surrounded by a ring of moblins. She'd never seen anything like the massive pig brutes. They were big and strong, but they lacked smarts.

Siria, who didn't usually fight with a spear, was barely able to handle the extended length of a moblin's spear. She was surprised it hadn't broken in her hands like all other weapons, but she wasn't complaining at the moment.

One of them lunged, and she sliced him across the face, making purple blood gush out. He howled in pain, then fell to the ground, dead.

It seemed they only attacked her once they saw her Triforce symbol, as if they were searching for her.

Siria grimaced.

They probably were. It could only mean one thing.

_He_ was back.

XxxX

"How many of these fucking things are there?!" Kana shouted as he ducked under a lizalfos's swing and stabbed it through the stomach.

The group was still trapped in the Ancient Hyrule ruins, and were being forced to hold off a siege by an army of monsters that appeared from nowhere.

"Just keep fighting!" Styx shouted, sweeping five monsters at once with her spear.

Lizalfos, Stalfos, Moblins, Wolfos, ReDeads… all of them and more were assaulting them in the castle, where they had set up camp. They all fought in a tight circle, except for Ronin, who seemingly couldn't be touched. He was so fast and deadly that he was like a shadow; there one moment, then gone again.

Kana was finally brought to understand why Ronin carried so many weapons; he was so flexible and so many enemies were targeting just him alone that he had to use every one of them, even the axe.

Something could be said for dexterity.

XxxX

Siria barely managed to dodge a thrust from behind her, a cut appearing on her cheek. She whirled, her spear slicing the moblin's head clean off.

This wasn't anything like training. In training it was just Ike, not a bunch of bloodthirsty pig-hybrids.

"_Adaptability is a warrior's greatest weapon,"_ she remembered Ike saying as she kneed a moblin in the crotch then stabbed him through the back. She used her spear as a pole, swinging around on it to avoid another attack and countering it by using both feet to kick the moblin in the face, sending him to the ground.

She landed on top of him and stomped on his face, seizing his spear and barely managing to parry a blow.

A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she held off the moblin, struggling as the moblin put his weight on his weapon, pushing her down.

It was like Linika had told her the day before she left; her senses had seemingly heightened. She could hear the rush of air from a spear heading towards her, she could perform flips and dodges that she normally couldn't, and she was amazingly adaptable to the situation.

Siria had to break off her block as another moblin made a stab for her back. She leaped to the side, just in time to see the moblin she had been holding off split his friend's head in half as he took a spear through the stomach.

Siria stood there, panting, the moblins lying dead around her. Her body was drenched in sweat, and she was exhausted.

Nonetheless, she knew she had to continue. It was only noon, and she had more than a year left in her journey. She picked up a knife that one of the moblins had dropped and walked away from the scene.

XxxX

Linika swiftly kicked the Lizalfos in the face, smashing it in. Rain poured down around her as Castle Town burned to the ground. Hordes of monsters fought with soldiers in the streets. Luckily, the citizens had been evacuated a few hours prior to the attack, but Linika was still feeling a familiar sense of horror as the city was burned for the second time.

She had to make it to the castle. She _had_ to.

She ran through the muddy streets towards Hyrule Castle, avoiding attacks on the way. When she reached the gate, it had been forced open. She sprinted over the lowered drawbridge into the entrance hall where a terrifying sight met her.

"No…" She whispered.

Ganondorf sat on the throne, smiling wickedly. At his feet..

"Zelda!" Linika screamed, rushing forward. She was thrown back when she neared her beloved, whom she had only just seen for the first time in twenty-five years a week before.

"Don't you know? Only bearers of the Triforce can approach once two pieces have connected," Ganondorf said, an almost bored expression on his face. "It seemed my spell on you worked, kid."

Linika fell to her knees, staring forward into space. _"That's right…"_ She thought. _"I'm useless now. I'm just a Hylian woman without the Triforce. Nobody. There's no way I can help."_

"Link…" Zelda whispered from the floor. She raised her head to look at Linika. "You don't have to…"

"Yes I do!" Linika screamed. "I can't lose you again!"

Zelda smiled sadly. "It's not your duty to save me, Link…"

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow as she stood, to reveal a large bloodstain on the front of her dress. Zelda coughed.

"Listen," she said. "If you want to save me… If you want to save _Hyrule_… You must wait for Siria's return… and bring her here… That is your part in this…"

Linika kneeled, the tears running down her face mingling with the ash and mud already on her face. "I-is that an order, M-My Queen?" She asked, her gaze on the floor.

"No," Zelda said quietly. "It's a request to the woman I love."

Linika stood, sparing one final glance at Zelda, then sprinted back outside into the chaos of Castle Town.

Ganondorf spoke with a bored tone. "Siria… is that the name of the brat she gave birth to?" He asked.

"She is no brat. I've never met a nobler soul than Siria Avalon." Zelda glared at him. "She will defeat you for sure."

Ganondorf laughed. "We shall see, Queen of Hyrule. We shall see."

XxxX

"Agh… dammit…" Siria groaned, holding her side, where a large bloodstain was spreading. A Stalfos had cut her with its crooked sword.

Which, conveniently, was coated in delirium-inducing poison.

Siria collapsed against a tree, sliding to the ground. Visions of her friends and other people she knew swam in front of her eyes. She could hear their voices, feel their touches. When she encountered visions of Saimana, it was the worst.

The silver-haired woman kept morphing into a cruel-looking Gerudo man who stabbed her through the heart then disappeared, all while saying things in Saimana's voice like, "I love you," and, "I'll protect you, Siria. I promise."

Siria whimpered.

"Saimana…" She cried. "Where are you, Mana? It hurts…"

She shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears, curling into a ball. "It hurts, Saimana…" She cried pitifully. The visions continued behind her eyelids as well, their voices worming their way into her head. "Please… Where are you?"

She screamed, and then all thought and feeling left her.

XxxX

Everywhere people were fighting, they stopped. They could hear a woman's voice scream a single word.

"SAIMANA!"

Even Linika, who was running through the fray in Castle Town, stopped, as well as all the soldiers and monsters.

"Siria!" She cried. "Where are you?!" Her daughter's pained voice struck a deep chord in her heart.

XxxX

At the ruins of Ancient Hyrule Castle, the group sat around a fire, exhausted. Bodies of monsters lay scattered everywhere around them.

"SAIMANA!"

They all froze at the sound of Siria's voice. She sounded afraid…

No.

She sounded _terrified…_ and tortured.

"Siria!" Saimana shouted, standing instantly. "Where are you?! Siria?! Please, answer me!"

"It's no use," Ronin said quietly, interrupting her frantic calling. "She's still in the forest. By my best guesses, she's been poisoned. Everyone within five thousand miles that's sensitive to magic heard that."

Saimana collapsed onto her rear. "So… I can't help her?" She whispered, tears beading at her eyes.

Ronin shook his head, summoning a harp from nowhere and beginning to play.

The tune was sad, sadder than anything any of them had ever heard.

"_Today, my darling, the sky will come down."_ Ashini began to sing in a beautiful voice. _"Today, evil takes hea-ven's crown._

"_Today, my love, evil walks the earth. But tomorrow, my love, comes a new day's birth._

"_In the beginning of time, the Goddesses came. Amongst total darkness, and pouring rain._

"_They gave birth to man, their greatest mistake. Now, their tears are for our sake._

"_Evil came, birthed from sand. It took the crown, on the first day of man._

"_It destroyed all good, or so it thought, and then came a Hero, for good he fought._

"_Evil fell, and it lost the crown, and the Hero himself, he cast it down._

"_The heavens were raised, and the Goddesses were praised; thank you for giving us this man._

"_His blade flashes bright, his arrow strikes true. He comes to us in radiant blue._

"_This is the legend of all mankind. The Savior of Legend, the Hero of Time."_ Ashini sung as Ronin plucked the last note of the song. The harp disappeared from his hands as he laid on his bedroll and almost instantly fell asleep. Ashini mimicked him, and the rest of them were left sitting there in amazement.

XxxX

"Nnn…"

"_Where am I?"_ Siria thought sleepily as she opened her eyes. Birds chirped in the trees around her. The sunrise was painting the sky with pink hues. The leaves rustled in the breeze. A dull ache issued from her hip, and she slowly looked down, to a sight that immediately woke her up.

Dried blood stained everywhere around the wound in her side, which was now a dangerous shade of green around the edges. The pain suddenly seemed sharper as she regained full consciousness.

"_At least all those insane visions are over…"_ Siria sighed. _"I have to treat this soon, though, or else who knows what'll happen?"_

She was brought to notice that her Triforce symbol still hadn't faded, although it no longer gave her any pain.

Or maybe the pain from her hip was so great that it drowned out that of her symbol.

Sticking the knife she had taken from the moblin in the tree, she used it as a handle to pull herself to her feet.

"Ah…" She gasped in pain. She limped a few feet forward, then collapsed on her uninjured side.

"_It's no use," _she thought. _"I can't move very far in this condition."_

"You shouldn't move so much, you know," an unfamiliar voice told her. "The poison will spread faster if you do."

Siria was suddenly picked up by two gentle but strong arms, and she found herself staring into the face of a forest elf woman.

She was beautiful, like all elven woman Siria had seen. She had leaf green hair and blue eyes. Her skin was pale, but not overly so. Obviously, she had the pointed ears of all elves.

"Who…?" Siria managed to ask.

"You can call me Na. But for right now, rest, Hero of Time." She smiled. Siria instantly knew she could trust this woman, and she let unconsciousness claim her.

XxxX

Linika, busy helping expand Kakariko Village (which had to accommodate quite a few of the escaped Castle Town residents), barely noticed when a small dove landed on her shoulder. It had to nudge the side of her head to get her attention.

"Hm?" Linika saw the letter clutched in the bird's beak and took it graciously, feeding the dove a small piece of her apple. "Thank you, little one."

The dove flew off, and Linika opened the letter, her eyes scanning the page;

_Linika,_

_I found Siria near my cottage and have taken her to it to treat her. She was poisoned, but she should be fine. Don't worry yourself needlessly. Also, pay me a visit some time, all right? I get lonely sometimes out here._

_Nakataru_

Linika sighed with relief, holding the letter close. Her daughter was safe, and that was what mattered.

"What did it say?" Asked a familiar, semi-deep voice. Linika turned, to see Impa standing in front of her.

"One of my friends found Siria in the Inirian forest," Linika told her. "She'd been poisoned, but she should be all right."

Impa closed her eyes and nodded, arms crossed. "That is good to hear. But on another subject," Her eyes opened. "Where've you been these past few years?"

The older woman hugged Linika, displaying a surprising amount of affection.

"I'd ask the same of you, except I already know what you're going to say," Linika laughed, hugging her back. "How've you been?"

The Shiekah drew back, sighing. "As well as could be until recently. The Queen was out of sorts for months before the attack."

Linika looked alarmed. "Was she having dreams again?"

Impa nodded to the affirmative. "And her symbol has not faded in months. And now… for this to happen…" She trailed off.

"She'll no doubt be in pain." Linika gritted her teeth. "Who knows how long it'll be before Siria returns? I know that being that close to Ganondorf for a long period of time will be painful for her…" She stomped her foot in frustration. Impa shook her head.

"Remember what I taught you, Linika."

"Always stay calm," Linika replied drily. "Especially in times of strife. Yes, _Teacher._"

"Good, I was afraid you'd forgotten."

Linika looked her straight in the eyes. "I spent two weeks of my life getting the hell kicked out of me by you. That's an experience hard to forget."

Impa laughed. "And look who you are now because of it."

"A mother who pushes her burden onto her child because she's a coward, a failure, a hermit, and incapable of doing anything useful," Linika said bitterly.

"Stop that," Impa commanded. "If you did not give the Triforce of Courage to Siria, who would you give it to? You must realize that if you died with it, it would just go back to the Sacred Realm, free for Ganondorf to eventually take, once he escaped. No, you couldn't have made a better decision in those two seconds you first held Siria in your arms."

Linika looked away. "But what if I've sentenced my own daughter to death? To die at the tip of her own father's sword?"

Impa smiled sadly, hugging Linika again. "Just because a man makes a woman pregnant does not make him a child's father, Linika. No, a father is someone who stays by the side of the child's mother to help raise the child. Siria doesn't _have_ a father. Ganondorf's the farthest thing from it, wouldn't you agree?"

"I suppose…" Linika said reluctantly, breaking away from the embrace. "I suppose I ought to pay Darunia a visit while I'm here…"

Impa winced. "Good luck."

Linika smiled at her. "Don't worry. Ever since… you know… He's been gentler about the back pats and hugs."

Impa sighed in relief. "Give him my regards."

"I will," Linika assured her, heading towards the mountain path.

XxxX

Aran sighed, looking about her at her castle.

She was wandering the halls alone, memories of each place flooding her mind. Her castle, once an ancient symbol of power and (relative) prosperity, now lay in the middle of a desert. It was fully intact, but still…

She wondered, did Ashini know that she had the name of a woman that had once been Aran's sister? If she did, she didn't say so.

And did Styx know that not only was she named after one of the most powerful warriors of the Sidoan army, she looked strikingly similar, as well?

"This was your home, eh?" Asked a voice. Aran stiffened in surprise, turning.

Styx stood about fifteen feet away, staring at her with a calm gaze. Aran relaxed.

"Once. That was a long time ago." Aran ran her hand down the wall slowly as she responded. Styx tilted her head.

"Listen, I wanted to ask you something," she said, motioning for Aran to sit as she did the same, across the hall from her. Aran sat.

"Fire away," Aran responded. Styx folded her hands in her lap.

"Thank you. What I wanted to know was… Well, you seem uneasy around me, to put it lightly. Why?"

Aran's hair fell into her face as she looked to the side. "I assume you know about the Sidoans?"

"I do."

"In the ancient times, when Hyrule was at war with them, one of their greatest warriors was named Perisan Styx, and not only do you share her name… you look almost exactly like her. It's unlikely, but…"

She paused, seeming to change her mind about something.

"But...?"

"You may be descended from her, I suppose," Aran responded.

Styx raised an eyebrow. "I might. I don't know."

Aran stood. "Was that all?"

"Yes. I'll be going." Styx stood as well, then began to walk away.

Aran watched the black-haired woman's every step until she turned the corner and disappeared.

"_I wonder…"_

XxxX

When Siria woke up, she was laying in bed in an unfamiliar cabin.

An empty fireplace was built into the opposite wall. A bar for hanging a cooking pot stood empty above it, the pot in question sitting not too far away on the floor. Next to the bed was a small end table. On the other side of the bed was a dresser that sat underneath a window. A two-person wooden table stood against the back wall, a chair on either side of it. Across from the table was the door out of the cabin.

Siria sat up, noticing she was clothed in a simple white button-down shirt and white silk pants.

"_Where am I…?"_ She thought. She could hear the birds chirping outside; it was early morning. The sun had no doubt just risen.

"_Oh yeah… That woman… I think she called herself Na? …What a strange name…" _Siria laid back down, sighing. She didn't have to look to know there was a bandage around her entire stomach area, along with one on her shoulder and left hand. Through all that had happened, her Triforce symbol, though no longer shining brightly, glowed. It brought no pain to her, but instead, her body flooded with comforting warmth when she looked at it.

She closed her eyes, imagining she was in Saimana's arms again. _"How are you doing, my love…? And everyone else, too…?"_

The half-Gerudo lied there, dozing. She'd never felt more content since the day Saimana proposed to her.

The sound of a door closing stirred her. She sat up slowly, to see Na setting a basket of fruit and herbs down on the table.

Na, hearing the rustle of sheets, looked at Siria, smiling. "Did you sleep well, Hero of Time?"

Siria nodded. "Mmm..."

As Na busied herself cutting the fruit, she and Siria made small talk. Siria felt an otherworldly sensation of happiness.

This place was so… disconnected. All her worries had faded away, and she was calm. She was beginning to understand why Na lived in solitude when she was shaken from this happy calm by thoughts of Saimana.

"Na?"

"Hmm?"

"How long will I take to heal?" Siria asked anxiously. Na looked at her.

"I do not know for sure. But it will not heal any quicker if you worry about something you can't help at the moment, so push it from your mind. For now, you live here, with me," she said calmly, turning back to her task.

"I understand," Siria replied softly.

XxxX

"If the sun is setting in front of us," Kana began, pointing towards the sunset. "Then we need to go that way." He pointed to the group's right.

They were standing next to the circle of stones and pillars that encircled the entrance to the ruins. They had gathered enough strength to continue to Hyrule, where they planned on waiting for Siria to arrive.

"Well," Saimana began optimistically. "The sooner begun, the sooner done, right?" She started off across the desert sands. They all glanced at each other.

"Well, at least she's optimistic." Romani shrugged, starting after her, followed by the rest of them.

XxxX

Zelda, confined to her quarters by Ganondorf, kneeled at the edge of her bed, praying for all she was worth, asking the Goddesses to make Siria's return swift.

This time, Ganondorf hadn't taken over Hyrule just in the literal sense of deposing the royal family; he planned to marry Zelda to become the Sovereign King of Hyrule. Then he would shut down all trade with other countries and take them over, by what Zelda had gathered.

Just like another Arkon. As if the world needed that, of all things.

XxxX

In two weeks' time, Siria was able to stand and walk without support. If she were any other person, such fast healing would've been impossible, but not only was Na an extremely experienced herbalist and healer, the Triforce of Courage aided her recovery as well.

"Can I leave?" Siria asked Na, helping the forest elf tend her vegetable garden. Na shook her head.

"Not yet, Hero of Time. You aren't strong enough. But within two months, I promise you will be on your way." A bit of sadness showed in her eyes when she said this, and Siria realized the way she'd asked had made it sound as if she just wanted to get away from the elf as soon as possible.

Siria tried to correct her mistake. "I didn't mean it like that. I enjoy your company very much. I'm just worried about my friends."

"I know, Hero of Time." Na smiled at her sadly. "I just get lonely out here sometimes, all on my own. But I made this decision for the good of others."

"The good of others?" Siria echoed. "How can isolating yourself do others any good?"

The elf swept her hair back behind her ears. "I'm cursed, Hero of Time. I've loved three men, all of whom ended up dead. I decided I wouldn't fall in love with anyone else and cause their death. That's why I live here, all alone."

Siria gazed into the elf's deep blue eyes, which were clouded with sadness and loneliness. "But… Na, why do that to yourself?" She asked.

"I just told you, I don't want anyone else to end up dead." Na answered miserably. Siria followed the sudden impulse to hug the elven woman.

"Everyone deserves to be able to love," she told her savior. "I don't believe this nonsense about a curse; you just happened to be unlucky three times in a row. And even if you are cursed…" Siria looked her new friend in the eyes. "…Maybe we can find a way to cure it, all right?"

XxxX

"Fuck, it's hot…" Kana panted, looking out over the desert, shielding his eyes with a hand. Vaati smacked the top of his head lightly.

"That kind of language is unnecessary, and you know it."

"Meh."

The two were standing on a dune near where the rest of them camped.

Vaati, relaxing a bit, asked, "How do you think Siria's doing?"

"Knowing her, she's already kicked Ganondorf's ass and is waiting for us to show up so she can gloat about it," Kana replied, not taking his eyes off the desert sands. Vaati scowled.

"That's more than a little ludicrous. I meant seriously, Kana."

"Ah. She's probably somewhere in Inir still, fighting off hordes of monsters on her way to Hyrule," Kana said, not knowing how close he was to the truth.

XxxX

"How many of them _are _there?!" Siria screamed, pulling her bowstring taut and letting the arrow fly. It pierced a moblin through the head, felling it instantly. Na fought with Earth Magic in front of her. They were trying to hold off a horde of moblins from reaching Siria, however they had found her.

Na didn't reply, instead opting to raise a few spikes of dirt from the ground and run several moblins through.

Siria's Triforce symbol had been shining brightly since the battle began, and Siria once again felt that she was in a state of heightened awareness, her already amazing skill with a bow being enhanced beyond what she normally thought possible. She was firing off several arrows at once, all striking their targets.

However, as expected, her quiver ran empty soon. She reached back for one more shot, only to grasp at air.

There was no way she could fight with another type of weapon in her condition; her wounds kept her from doing so. She could only imagine how well she'd be doing without them.

Two giant arches of hard-packed earth suddenly sprouted from the ground, slamming together, with several moblins in between them. Siria stared in awe. Was this the power of an Earth Sage?

Without warning, an arrow with a burning piece of paper tied to it landed next to her. Illegible writing was scrawled on it. Siria bended over to inspect it…

Na turned just in time to see Siria reaching for an arrow with a paper bomb tied to it.

"DON'T!" She screamed, sprinting towards the red-haired woman, slamming into her, knocking her out of the way just as the bomb exploded.

When the smoke cleared, Siria gasped in horror.

No moblins remained, but Na lied with a large bloody hole in her side. Siria rushed over to her, tears already beginning to flow.

"Na!" She screamed, seizing the forest elf's hand in a tight grip. Na swallowed, with difficulty. She smiled at her friend sadly.

"Hero of Time… It has been an honor… to care for you…" She coughed. "Please… take this…"

She reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a small, flute-like instrument made of silver. Siria took it gently, staring at Na.

"Wh-what is it…?" She whispered. Na gave a pain-filled laugh.

"It's… my flute. Play it… when you have need… of my aid… And please… tell Linika… thank you…"

Siria shook her head, grief-stricken, as Na's hand went limp in her grip. "B-but… Na! NA!"

Na's eyes dulled, and the weak rise and fall of her chest stopped. A peaceful smile graced her features.

Siria sobbed over the dead forest elf's body, letting her emotions go. Her new friend, even if she'd known her only briefly, was now dead.

Because of her.

All because she was supposed to be some thrice-damned Hero of Time!

Deep down, she felt anger at the Goddesses. If she'd never been given this role, Na would still be alive!

XxxX

Linika lied in her bed in the previously empty house that sat in the corner of Kakariko Village. She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the bed and the wooden floor in the otherwise empty room.

What was it? What was the sudden wave of unexplained sadness she had just felt? Where did it come from?

XxxX

Siria worked all night to dig the hole, with a shovel she had found out in Na's vegetable garden. An ever-growing pile of dirt stood next to the tireless heroine, who was panting and sweating, covered in dirt.

When the hole was deep enough that it was just taller than herself, Siria climbed out. She lifted Na's still form in her arms and gently lowered her into the hole. When Na's body rested in the hole, Siria made a long prayer to the Goddesses, then began filling in the hole.

Shovelful after shovelful poured into the hole, filling it little by little. Siria was crying as she filled the elf's grave.

When she stood next to the filled grave, Siria entered Na's cabin, returning a moment later with a small slab of stone and a knife.

Scraping the stone with the knife, Siria soon managed to carve the words,

_Na, Forest Elf_

_Caretaker and dear friend to the Hero of Time._

_May she rest in peace, knowing that she was more than the Hero of Time ever deserved._

When she had finished, Siria took a spear from one of the moblin's corpses and used her belt as a makeshift strap, looping it under her arm and over the opposite shoulder, holding the spear in place on her back.

She took one final glance back at the cabin, smiling sadly, then turned away and walked forth, into the forest.

Behind the heroine, as the sun rose over the cabin, the birds in the trees around the cabin burst forth with song, singing to the forest about the elf that had taken care of the Hero of Time, not only in body, but in spirit.

XxxX

"All right," Romani began, plodding forward over the hot sands with the rest of them. "We're in a desert."

"Right," Kana replied, nodding.

"It's over a hundred degrees."

"Uh-huh."

"The sun makes it even hotter."

"Just so."

"So…" Romani pointed at Ronin with a hysterical expression on her face. The warrior in question was dressed as heavily as ever, in all black, as usual. "HOW THE HELL IS HE DRESSED LIKE THAT AND STILL ALIVE?!"

XxxX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER VII

PART A

END

XxxX

**(Quick A/N;**

**For those of you who are wondering about why Siria made the hole so deep, it refers to the phrase, 'six feet under,' which means, obviously, six feet underground. Siria is about five-ten, and six feet is the point underground where the frost line stops, which is why many bodies are buried at this point. This preserves the body better and slows the decomposition process (I think…).**

**I'm not really as satisfied with this part of the chapter so much as I am with parts B and C, so read on!)**

Forever, My Love

Chapter VII

Part B

"This is bullshit! We're in the middle of a desert, for Nayru's sake!" Kana shouted, slicing a Stalfos in half. The group was being attacked in the middle of traveling through Laramoa Desert, where Stalfos had seemingly sprouted from the sand beneath their feet the moment the sun set.

Vaati muttered a spell, and a few Stalfos were ensnared by tendrils of darkness and slammed together at such a high speed that the bones they were made of literally turned to dust.

"We never get a break, do we?" Ashini fell back to back with Styx, grinning. Styx returned the grin.

"Doesn't seem like it, does it?" She replied, slamming the shaft of her spear into a Stalfos' head, knocking it clean off. The head bounced around on the ground comically for a few moments before it, along with its body, disintegrated.

A large explosion came from nearby, nearly knocking the two women over. Sweatdrops formed on both of their foreheads.

"YOUR END IS NEAR!" Ronin shouted in a voice that was so terrifying, even the Stalfos, who weren't supposed to have any emotion whatsoever, froze in their tracks. His axe smashed through several of them, and he slammed it into the ground, using it as a pole to vault over with one hand, landing on top of a Stalfos and smashing it to pieces while he slashed through several more with his swords.

Romani paused to stare at the Master Assassin in awe for a moment, before a crooked sword just barely missing her ear brought her attention back to the fight.

XxxX

Linika ran a Wolfos through, blocking the swipe of a Lizalfos with her shield arm. She was fighting a group of monsters, alone, in the middle of Hyrule Field, for the first time since she had laid the Master Sword to rest.

She gave a battle cry, tearing her sword free from the Wolfos' corpse and immediately cutting the Lizalfos in half, then ducking under the lunge of a ReDead, and, resourceful as ever, planting her Longshot between its ribs and pulling the release, the knife at the end of the chain immediately springing forward and running the zombie-like monster through.

Abandoning her Longshot in the ReDead's corpse, she barely managed to evade a swing from a moblin. Fury blazed in her eyes.

Moblins. Of all the monsters Ganondorf called his minions, they were the ones that disgusted her most. Little more than half-sentient pigs, they were. And much worse. In her time as the Hero of Time, she'd seen innocent people raped, abused, and killed by these horrors.

Her retaliation was swift and fierce, her sword cleaving the moblin's head from its shoulders in one clean stroke.

She may have been older, but she found she was no less deadly than before, falling easily into her old rhythm of attacking, parrying, countering, and repeating.

XxxX

Siria kicked the Lizalfos, the last of the remaining enemies, in the head, hearing a sickening crack as its skull caved inwards.

When it fell to the ground, dead, she rested for a moment, panting, then continued through the forest.

It had been a month since Na's death, and Siria had been continuing her journey through the forest, which she hoped was almost over. The farther she went east, the more enemies she encountered, and the stronger and smarter they became. Whereas before, she could easily take out an entire group of moblins by wildly slashing and hacking without the slightest regard for strategy, now each attack had to be carefully planned and executed with precision.

It also seemed that the monsters did, after all, know how to block.

Siria almost fainted with relief when she saw the gap in the trees ahead, signaling the end of the massive forest.

When she emerged, she gave a massive sigh, not of relief, but of exasperation and resignation.

She stood on a hill overlooking a hilly meadow. The grass and flowers rolled with the hills, creating beautiful scenery, marred only by the fact that there were packs of monsters roaming the fields in front of her.

Siria took the sword she had taken from a Lizalfos' corpse from her sword belt.

It seemed her struggles in the forest were only the beginning.

She was about to step forward, begin her trek across the fields, when the thought struck her; was the whole world being attacked by these monsters as well? Were they everywhere? She gritted her teeth. If so, there was one more reason for her to kill Ganondorf.

As if she couldn't control her body, she gave a loud, fearsome battle cry, rushing down the hill to meet the first of the monsters.

XxxX

At last, Linika reached the gates of Lon Lon Ranch, covered in blood that wasn't her own and generous amounts of sweat that were.

The gates were chained and barred shut. Linika sighed. When Malon wanted things out, she wanted them _out._

Linika took out her Longshot (she had barely remembered to retrieve it from the ReDead's corpse) and took careful aim, releasing the catch. The knife dug into the roof of the ranch house, and Linika rocketed onto it, landing on her feet with a loud thud.

She slid down to the edge of the roof, hanging off the edge and bracing her feet against Malon's bedroom window. She swung back, and…

_SMASH!_

Linika flew through Malon's window, landing on the floor on her rear. The redheaded woman in question was sitting nearby at a table, reading a book, wearing her reading glasses. She didn't even look up at Linika's unusual way of entering, instead only sighing.

"You owe me another window," was all she said, turning a page.

Linika stood, dusting herself off. "I suppose." She seated herself across from her friend.

"About that dove of yours…" Malon closed her book, removing her reading glasses. She looked at Linika. Linika raised an eyebrow.

"What about him?"

"Has he found my daughter yet?" She asked anxiously.

"She's traveling with Saimana and a few other travelers through Laramoa Desert." Linika replied. Malon frowned.

"You make it sound as if Siria's not with them…"

"She's not. She's just reached the Furora Fields in Inir," Linika replied.

"Why isn't she with the others?"

"I don't know, but from her current route, she looks as if she's intending to use the mountain pass and cut through to Salis."

Malon flinched. "She must be _really_ desperate."

"I've no doubt she is. She's been attacked by monsters many times already. She undoubtedly has figured out the sooner she kills Ganondorf, the sooner they disappear, and the sooner the world will know a little more peace."

"If only a little," Malon said, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"If only a little," Linika agreed.

XxxX

"Oh no…" Siria whispered.

In the past two months, she had made it from the edge of the forest to the middle of the fields. Now, in front of her, was another reminder of how the world had gone to hell.

A small village was burning, no doubt set aflame by the monsters. Even from a few hundred feet away, the air around Siria shimmered and distorted with heat. It was only a matter of time before the grass around the village caught fire and Siria was trapped in a burning wasteland.

The flapping of wings disturbed her, and she looked up, just in time to see a small dove carrying something Siria couldn't make sense of. It looked like a large, misshapen red ball.

The bird dropped it at Siria's feet and flew off. Siria picked it up, and whatever it was unrolled.

It was a red tunic, and the very fabric of it was interwoven tightly with magic energy. Holding it sent a mysterious cool feeling through Siria's body, like she was nowhere near the fire.

Realizing the purpose of the tunic, Siria quickly pulled it over her head, instantly feeling refreshed. It felt like someone had just poured cool water all over her.

She entered the village, looking for something or someone that had survived. Somehow, she didn't sustain a single burn. The fire licked at her body, spreading over her then retreating, as if realizing it was no use.

And then came a sound that, for all its innocence, almost certainly meant her doom.

_R-rrrrriiiippp!_

A large, burning beam of wood had fallen down behind her, ripping through the back of her tunic and touching her exposed skin, causing both a burn and a wound at the same time.

Siria instantly screamed in agony, falling to the ground. The tunic was now useless to her. Fire instantly swelled over her body, and Siria screamed again, her vision going red.

Was this how she was going to die? Burnt to death, hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from her goal? Would the Hero of Time simply become a failure, another charred corpse in the wreckage of a small village?

She never got the answer to these questions as her vision went black.

XxxX

Zelda's Triforce symbol suddenly pulsed on her hand. A shockwave was sent through her, and she fell to the floor, clutching her hand, pain coursing through her as her symbol pulsed over and over.

It could've lasted for years, or it could've lasted for seconds. Zelda didn't know. When it was over, her Triforce symbol was no longer pulsing, innocently glowing on the back of her hand, just as it always had, as if nothing had happened.

Zelda stared. There was only one explanation for what had just happened, and surely, that was ludicrous, even for the Champion of the Goddesses.

XxxX

Ganondorf's mouth curved upward in an amused smile as he lounged on his throne. One of his only human servants, flinched next to him. When Ganondorf smiled like that, it usually meant someone was about to die.

"M-Milord?" He asked nervously. Ganondorf ignored him.

"So… the brat is strong after all… Not many people come back to life after dying," Ganondorf said to himself, gazing at the Triforce of Power symbol glowing on the back of his hand. "She shall be an interesting opponent…"

XxxX

"Dammit, get _up!_" A man's voice growled, and Siria's eyes instantly flew open.

She was lying on the ground, which was charred black. She looked up.

Two people stood over her, one male, one female.

The man looked frighteningly like a vampire. He had extremely pale skin, black hair, and red eyes. He was thin, but the axe on his back told Siria that he was nowhere near weak. His face was etched in an expression Siria thought seemed like disapproval.

The woman was a completely different story. Her skin was a light brown, and she had emerald green hair that instantly reminded Siria of Elincia, and red eyes. Her expression was concerned.

"Are you okay? Another few seconds there, and I wouldn't have been able to revive you," she asked, offering a hand to Siria. Siria took it, standing.

All her wounds had seemingly disappeared. The village was in ashes around her. Siria could feel the breeze on her exposed back, and felt it. Instead of charred and torn flesh, all she felt was simple, smooth, healthy skin.

Siria stared at the woman, who, now that Siria noticed, was standing in the middle of a circle of strange runes, which were glowing with a rapidly fading purple light.

"Did you two… save me?" Siria asked in surprise. The man snorted in contempt, as if she'd just asked an _extremely_ stupid question. The woman glared at him for a second, then looked back to Siria.

"More or less. That symbol on your hand… You're the Hero of Time, right?" She asked. Siria gave a small nod.

"That's what everybody calls me, at least."

"Why are you so far from Hyrule?"

Siria hesitated, then instantly launched into an explanation of her journey to Crimea and back.

They stayed silent through the whole thing. When Siria finished, the woman sighed.

"Shoot. And we were so close to finding her, too."

Siria tilted her head in confusion. "Finding who?"

"Our sister, Saimana, your wife," The woman explained. "You see, we're her older siblings. I'm Ivinia Norenian, but please call me Ivinia. This man here is Oriton Norenian."

Siria looked confused. "Saimana never mentioned she had a sister and brother."

Ivinia looked away. "I'm not surprised."

Siria knew instantly that this was a delicate subject, so she changed it. "Why are you looking for her?"

"To bring her home," Oriton replied, before Ivinia could respond. "She's the Princess of Malin, or did she not tell you?"

"She told me, but I only half-believed her," Siria admitted.

"Well, we've been ordered by our mother to take her home. I'm the Queen of Malin, so I really shouldn't have left, but…" Ivinia glanced up at the sky. "She was adamant. So now one of my retainers is ruling while I search for her."

Siria laughed. "You should come to Hyrule with me. I've no doubt that she, as well as the rest of my companions, will reach there before us."

"That sounds like a wise idea, except…" Ivinia paused nervously. "Well, saying that Hyrule's a warzone would be putting it lightly. Very lightly."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Siria responded calmly. "I want to reach it as soon as possible to prevent further bloodshed."

"Um…" A sweatdrop formed on Ivinia's forehead. "No offense, even if you are the legendary Hero of Time... Well, we've received reports that even the rebel Hylian Army is having trouble against the new King's forces… And again, no offense, but how much difference can one woman really make?"

Siria's expression turned grim. "As much difference as possible. Who's the general of this rebel army?"

Ivinia and Oriton glanced at each other. "We don't really know much about her, but she's supposed to be a great tactician and amazing warrior. Why?" Oriton asked.

Siria smiled. "I'm pretty sure that's my mother, Linika Avalon."

Ivinia smiled back. "I see. Warrior blood must run in the family."

Siria gave a short, humorless laugh, thinking of all her 'sisters' in the Gerudo Desert. "You've no idea."

XxxX

Linika stood gathered around a table with a handful of other strategists, a map of Hyrule spread on the table.

"All right, since we've liberated Marten, our next move will be Suko." Linika moved her finger from the spot on the map indicating Marten to the one indicating Suko.

"Well, _I_ think our next move should be Kri," argued the current leader of the Gerudo Fortress, Aveil. "It's closer and there's more benefit in taking a bigger town."

Linika gazed at her levelly. "I was getting to that, Aveil. Did Nabooru never tell you that patience is of the essence in a war?"

Aveil glared at her. "Go on, then, great _Hero,_" she spat, exiting the room.

Linika sighed. _"Another headache. Why in Din's name did you choose _her_ to succeed you, Nabooru?!"_ She shook her head, then continued speaking. "As I have mentioned, we will take Suko. At the same time, we will also take Kri," she added sharply, knowing that Aveil was listening with her ear pressed to the door. "With the help of the Gerudo, of course."

"Of course." Came Nabooru's voice from the hall, and she strode in, holding Aveil up by the back of her shirt. She dropped the other Gerudo on the floor. ("Ow!")

"Ah, Nabooru. I was wondering when you would arrive," Linika greeted.

"Not too late, I hope?" Nabooru asked playfully, smiling as she seated herself. "My girls are getting restless."

"You're never too late for the fight, my friend. Stop that," she commanded, meaning Nabooru's hand, which was creeping up her thigh.

Nabooru pouted. "You're never any fun."

"I'm plenty of fun. Just not around you," Linika responded, smiling. "After all, I can't afford that kind of distraction."

"_What_ kind of distraction?" Nabooru whispered, her hand trailing down the Hylian woman's back, making her shudder. Linika drew in a deep breath.

"The kind that involves- wha?!" Linika gave a cry as her and Nabooru's stools toppled, resulting in the Sage of Spirit landing on top of her in a rather… _suggestive_ position.

Immediately, everyone's faces started to go red, and a few of the men left, holding their noses.

"The kind that involves what?" Nabooru breathed, lowering her face…

_Smack._

The two women stood, ruffled. Nabooru had a large red mark on her cheek, visible even on her dark skin.

"Rejected again," she sighed, pouting. Linika didn't look at her, straightening her clothes out.

"Now, as I was saying…"

XxxX

Styx and Ashini walked next to each other, looking in opposite directions, blushing.

"I hate you," Ashini muttered.

"Good. The feeling's mutual, then."

Vaati sighed, pushing in between them. "Oh, come _on_, you two. You both thought it was the best idea _ever_ last night, when you had the brilliant idea to drink _all_ our sake."

"Yeah, before… before I lost my virginity to this demon!" Styx cried.

"I don't seem to remember you complaining! Besides, I lost mine to you! How happy do you think I am about that?!"

"You both were calling it a 'stress reliever,'" Vaati interjected.

"I meant a massage!" The two shouted at the same time.

"Uh-huh." Vaati wasn't convinced. "You know, I'm named after an ancient Wind Sage who could read minds."

"And he was also evil," Aran added. "And just because you live up to your namesake's trait of being able to read minds doesn't mean it's a good thing."

"Oh, hush. It's not so much as I read minds as I sense emotions," Vaati responded.

"You were able to tell that I was actually a woman pretty quickly…"

Vaati's face flushed. "You were emitting high levels of doubt and insecurity. A _novice_ Dark Mage could figure it out almost immediately."

"I'm not convinced…" Aran replied in a singsong tone, leaning on Vaati's shoulder. "Are you _sure_ there wasn't another reason…?"

Vaati looked away. "A-absolutely!"

Kana, Arinia, and Romani watched the entire exchange while holding their sides with suppressed laughter.

"I was saving that for my marriage!" Styx shouted.

"As was I! Besides, do you really think any man would marry you?" Ashini shouted back. Styx's blush deepened. She muttered something incomprehensible.

"What?" Ashini relented for a moment, her expression changing to confused.

"I said…" Styx began quietly. "I-I N-N-NEVER S-SAID ANYTHING AB-ABOUT A M-M-MAN!"

Immediately, behind them, Kana's nose exploded with blood. Even Ronin brought a hand to his nose.

Meanwhile, Vaati and Aran continued their banter about how Vaati had discovered Aran's gender. Aran was being very teasing.

"I didn't know you were such a predator_,_ Vaati-chan!" She gasped in mock horror.

"Sh-shut up! I never did anything!" Vaati shouted. "You… Even if I am a predator_,_ you would most certainly not be the prey!"

Instantly, everyone stopped walking, staring at her. She covered her mouth with a hand, blushing furiously.

"So…" Aran began slyly. "Who _is_ the prey_,_ Vaa-ti~?"

"D-don't b-b-be r-ridiculous! I-I never… Never…" Vaati trailed off.

"Oh, I know!" Aran exclaimed in an exaggerated fashion, slapping her forehead. "It was an innocent servant girl back in Crimea! Really, Vaati, I didn't know you were so low!"

Vaati's levels embarrassment and inward anger had now gone beyond her threshold of tolerance. She began to glow with a purplish-black aura, and turned a murderous glare on Aran, cracking her knuckles.

"Hey, Aran…" She began softly, smiling wickedly. "Since I'm so _remarkably_ nice, do you have any last words to Arinia? Any at all?"

Aran didn't respond, as she was frozen in terror.

"None? Not even an, 'I love you, please pray for me when I'm dragged into the deepest pit of hell?'" Vaati questioned evilly, as two skeletal hands grabbed Aran's ankles from beneath the sand. "Ah, well. I wish I could say it was a pleasure knowing you…"

She snapped her fingers, and Aran disappeared into the desert sand with a shriek.

XxxX

A week later, Aran emerged from the ground as they were walking, spitting out sand.

Her long hair was sticking up in different directions, like she'd just been shocked, and her eyes looked like two kaleidoscopes of shattered emotions.

All she could manage was a weak, "A-Arinia…" and a sob of fear when she saw Vaati looking at her. She hid behind Arinia on her knees, clinging to her wife's waist.

Arinia, who had been shocked and angered over her wife's apparent death, had been consoled by Vaati, who assured her that Aran was still alive, and would return. Vaati had told the truth, it seemed, just not all of it.

"You didn't say she'd be like this!" Arinia cried. Vaati shrugged.

"It's not my fault… at least not directly. Whatever happens when the undead drag someone underground is anyone's guess. You just got lucky that she emerged here, with some sanity, not a million miles away, with none at all."

"What part of her," Arinia held the sobbing Aran close to her in a tight hug. "Looks sane to you?!"

Vaati hummed a merry tune, snapping her fingers. "This will show you part of what she experienced. You can decide whether or not she's worthy of punishment after you see this. From what I've been told…" Vaati shrugged again.

"'Worthy of punishment?'" Arinia echoed, then stopped. In front of her, just as Vaati had told her, was a vision of a snippet of what had happened to Aran. Her face instantly exploded with red.

Aran was surrounded by naked women of all types, all extremely beautiful. She was screaming and squirming as they licked and touched places Arinia had once proclaimed as hers.

When the vision faded, a large vein bulged on Arinia's forehead. She looked beyond furious.

"Aran…" She began quietly, then looked up, screaming at the top of her lungs. "H-HOW DARE YOU, YOU… YOU… YOU _UNFAITHFUL WHORE!_"

Aran scrambled away, on her rear, looking terrified. "W-wait, sh-she only showed y-you…"

"COME HERE AND ACCEPT YOUR DEATH LIKE AN HONORABLE WARRIOR!"

"B-but…!"

"HELL ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH! NOT FOR YOU!" Arinia ranted, unsheathing her sword. Her eyes were on fire as she chased Aran in a circle around the amused group, screaming what she had just said and the like.

"DIE, UNFAITHFUL DOG!"

"Arinia! P-please, I c-can explain!"

"NO NEED! I UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY!" Arinia caught up to Aran and pounced on top of her, her sword flaring with Lightning magic. "I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU NEED TO DIE LIKE THE WORM YOU ARE!"

XxxX

"IVINIA! I COULD REALLY USE ONE OF THOSE ORBS RIGHT NOW!" Oriton shouted, blocking a strike from a Wolfos.

The three companions were continuing on their way to Hyrule, and were currently fending off yet another assault.

"BUT-! OH, FINE! HERE!" Ivinia reached into the pouch strapped at her waist a took out a small jewel Siria thought was a ruby. Oriton caught it and crushed it in his fist, and immediately, his body was set on fire.

Siria watched in amazement as he fought while aflame. Whatever Ivinia had tossed to him was amazing!

She barely avoided the claws of a Wolfos, and remembered she still had to fight, too.

Siria growled in frustration. As things currently were, they were going to lose the battle. Oriton was a very able warrior, but Ivinia was obviously not one for fighting, a novice with her blade.

"_Oh crap,"_ was her only thought, as a giant _thing_ reminiscent of an armored soldier rose from the ground. This was no doubt what her mother had called an Iron Knuckle, the most powerful of the monsters in Ganondorf's command.

For good reason, Siria found out. She ducked under the massive axe, which immediately cleaved several of her enemies in half and just sliced off the tips of a few strands of her hair.

"_One hit from that thing, and it's over,"_ she thought, swinging her sword at it. However, it didn't even make a dent in the Iron Knuckle's armor, instead sending a massive vibration up her arm.

"_Oh yeah,"_ Siria remembered, a sweatdrop forming on her forehead. _"They can only be hurt by the Master Sword… oops."_ She barely managed to dodge the next swing. It seemed she'd done little more than piss the armored menace off.

"Siria!" She heard Ivinia scream. "Buy me some time!"

"_As if I've got a choice!"_ Siria thought. She tripped and was forced to hold off the next attack with her sword, which snapped under the weight.

Only Siria's training with Ike saved her as she jerked her head out of the way of the axe, which slammed into the ground uncomfortably close to her ear and where her face had been not a second before. She rolled away from the weapon, which the Iron Knuckle was now struggling to pull out of the ground.

"Just a little more!" Siria heard Ivinia shout. She grimaced, doing a backwards handspring to bring herself to a standing position.

A short distance away, Oriton was fighting, the flames around his body fading rapidly. Siria could see that he was tiring, and fast.

"Ivinia! Whatever it is you're doing, _hurry up!_" Siria screamed, only just dodging the Iron Knuckle's next attack, which left a small but deep cut on her stomach. She grunted in pain.

"_That's gonna scar."_

Without warning of any kind, the Iron Knuckle exploded in front of Siria's eyes, and all the other monsters in the area instantly dropped dead. When the smoke and dust cleared, Siria blinked.

Was she seeing right?

"S-seriously?!" Siria exclaimed, leaping up and pointing a finger.

Ivinia held a massive sword with a hilt of gold and blade of silver. The blade was that of a longsword's, at least five feet long. Ivinia's thin and fragile-looking frame didn't look strong enough to even lift such a massive weapon, let alone use it.

Ivinia smiled at her, resting her giant sword on her shoulder. "This is the Norenian family sword, _Modasiotara_ in Inirian, or Asinaya's Fury. This sword is blessed in such a way that it's light as a feather, takes the wielder's chosen form, and can breach any defense, when wielded by one of our line. To anyone else, it weighs as much as a mountain and lowers their combat ability to almost suicidal standards."

"So in other words, you only chose the form of a giant longsword to show off." Siria deadpanned. A sweatdrop formed on Ivinia's forehead.

"When you put it that way, it sounds bad… especially because you're more or less correct..." Ivinia replied, regretting saying the part about light as a feather. The sword seemed to slim down and curve in the middle. The hilt retracted into the blade, and a string sprouted from the top end. In no time, Ivinia was holding a bow, a quiver of silver and gold arrows on her back.

Oriton looked out over the rolling hills of the field. They had quite a ways to go. "Shouldn't we get going?"

"Yes, you're right," Ivinia assented, if only to take the attention off her attempt at showing off.

Siria sighed. "I suppose."

With that, the trio continued on their way.

XxxX

As the group sat around the fire that night, they desperately tried to ignore the moans and screams of pleasure from not too far away, their faces red. Even Styx and Ashini had forgotten their quarrel for the moment.

Aran screamed.

"Tw-twenty-three," Styx whispered in fear. "H-how much stamina does Arinia have?"

"Y-you've been counting?" Vaati asked incredulously, her eyes showing the same fear.

Styx nodded, terrified.

Meanwhile, Kana and Ronin held their noses.

"D-don't think about it… don't think about it…" Kana chanted over and over, terrified of what would happen to him the following day if Arinia found out he'd been listening.

Another scream.

"Twenty-four…"

"Do NOT think about it…"

XxxX

"You're mine," Arinia breathed in Aran's ear, her hands dancing skillfully over the other woman's body. "Understand?"

"Y-yes!" Aran moaned, whether in answer to the question or in pleasure, Arinia couldn't surmise.

"I really don't think you do." Arinia tweaked one of Aran's nipples, hard. This elicited yet another moan. Arinia's other hand was busy inside her wife's most private places. "You know, you have the cutest voice in the world when you moan… perhaps I'll forgive you and stop here for now…"

Arinia's fingers rammed home into Aran's flower, making the other woman scream again, yet another release spilling onto the desert sand.

"Or not." She laughed evilly.

XxxX

"Did you just hear something?" Elincia looked up from signing the letter. Ike, next to her, raised an eyebrow.

"No, My Queen. Why?"

Elincia could've sworn her entire fortune that she had just heard the scream of one of Siria's traveling companions… Aran, was it?

"…No reason."

XxxX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER VII

PART B

END

XxxX

**Yes, for those of you who read/watched Zero no Tsukaima, Arinia's remark **_**was**_** intentional.**

**For those of you who are wondering, there is approximately eight months left in Siria, Ivinia, and Oriton's journey to Hyrule. There is about two months left for the other group.**

Forever, My Love

Chapter VII

Part C

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Linika moaned. She stood at the head of the rebel Hylian Army, which was camped not too far away from the town of Suko. The town in question was surrounded on all sides by monsters. Hundreds of barricades and at least a dozen catapults stood ready to defend from an attack.

Linika's dove landed on her shoulder, and Linika smiled, laying a finger on her head. Instantly, she saw what the bird had seen above the town.

"Hmm… Their forces are weaker towards the back. A few of those catapults on the east side don't look like they're in working order… Good work, little one. Go rest."

The dove took off, flying away into the distance. Linika's hands tensed on the hilt of her sword, then relaxed.

"Terasu, where are you?" She asked. Instantly, a Hylian man emerged from the crowd.

He was in his early sixties, at least. He was balding on the top of his head, and the hair on the sides of it stuck up at odd angles. Glasses that were crooked and bent from use rested unevenly on his nose, which was angled at the tip, like it'd been broken and never recovered quite right. He wore scholar's robes, and in his hand he always held a roll of parchment and an enchanted quill that never ran out of ink.

Needless to say, he was Linika's favorite advisor and strategist.

Terasu unrolled his roll of parchment and began scribbling furiously. "Here, General. By the way, you really must let me experiment on that bird sometime. It…"

Linika sighed. He also had a tendency to go almost immediately off-subject. "No, Terasu. I need you to spread the order to shift our ranks to the east side. We'll attack from there."

"Anything else, General?"

"That will be all, Terasu. Go."

"Yes, yes. All right." The somewhat-insane scholar rolled up his parchment, then looked Linika in the eyes, displaying an unusual amount of focused seriousness. "I hope you know what you're doing. This won't be anywhere near as easy as Marten was."

Linika gave a grim smile. "You forget, my friend, that I've faced things much harder than this alone."

"Ah yes. Forgive me for the distraction." He disappeared back into the crowd of Hylian soldiers, which soon began to shift towards the eastern side of the town. The scholar neglected to point out that when Linika had mentioned facing harder things alone, she had also had the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage.

XxxX

"All right. Are we ready?" Linika asked. Terasu raised a finger, still writing on his parchment, which was now floating midair.

"I believe so. Hmm, I smell roasted cuccoo from somewhere… Or is that regular chicken? One really cannot tell the difference until they taste…"

"Terasu."

"Oh, forgive me. I'm hungry, that's all. Yes, the soldiers are ready for your orders."

"Thank you," Linika said, then whipped her sword from its scabbard, like she'd done so many times before when she had traveled Hyrule alone. "HYLIAN SOLDIERS! CHARGE!"

XxxX

There was no point for Ganondorf's minions at which they couldn't become any stupider, Linika surmised. Either they really hadn't noticed the army of seven thousand camped not too far from them, or they were _extremely _brave. Whichever one, it didn't matter to her.

As she charged across the expanse of plain with seven thousand soldiers in tow, a large, flaming boulder landed right where she'd been standing a moment before. The former Hero of Time merely leaped to the side and continued on, the ashes from the flames streaking her face.

She was almost to the town of Suko when another massive burning projectile landed directly in front of her.

The monsters waiting at the frontlines hesitated. They knew she was leading the army; was she dead?

The sound of a fearsome battle cry issuing from the smoke answered their thoughts as the red-haired Hylian emerged from the pillar of smoke and flames, barely a scratch on her. She had apparently leapt _over_ the boulder, and was now coming down from the air to meet the first of Ganondorf's minions.

A few of the monsters thought it would be an excellent idea to raise their spears in the air and wait for her to land on them. Just as it seemed she would do exactly that on one of the moblin's spears…

She inhaled, twisting midair at the last second. The monsters paused in confusion.

WHAM.

Her foot plowed into the ill-fated moblin's face, sending him soaring into a quite a few of his compatriots, most of them crushed under his weight or killed on impact because of his size.

She landed gracefully, sword flashing through the air as she charged through their ranks towards the waiting walls of Suko, one of the only walled towns in Hyrule, aside from the obvious exceptions of Castle Town and Kakariko. The rest of the army followed shortly after, courage filling them as they decimated the monsters left outside the walls. Boulders fell from the other monsters that lined the walls, the last line of defense. They crushed a few of the Hylian soldiers, but not enough to lower their morale in the least.

Linika stopped at the gate to Suko, glaring at it as if it would make it move. Obviously, it didn't, but when the soldiers following her arrived with a battering ram, that was soon remedied. The Hylian Army poured into the streets, to the shock of the imprisoned citizens. They quickly eradicated the monsters on the walls, securing the town.

In a matter of half an hour, Suko had been taken.

XxxX

"Hmm…" Siria tilted the map this way and that. If question marks could take physical form, one would've taken form over the heroine's head. "Well, assuming I think I know where we are… we still have about eight months left, even if we take the mountain pass… again, assuming I know where we are. These fields are pretty damn big…"

"Oh, give me that," Ivinia sighed, taking the map. "_Locate!_"

Immediately, a small purple dot appeared on the map showing the continents of Inir, Tellius, and Telmin. It was moving slowly, almost imperceptibly, across the northeastern part of the Furora Fields in Inir, in the segment belonging to the country of Pamisia.

"You were correct, Siria-san." Ivinia looked up, a sweatdrop forming on her forehead. "Unfortunately, we're not too far away from the Telmir Divide."

Sweatdrops formed on Siria and Oriton's foreheads as well. The Telmir Divide was one of the many reasons taking the mountain pass was so dangerous. It was a deep chasm with only a very old stone bridge serving as the way across (unless someone was crazy enough to try and reach the bottom, cross, then climb back up; it was said the chasm went straight to Hell.) The stone bridge in question was said to be cracked and missing sections.

"Well, it can't be _too_ bad… right? …Right?" Siria looked from Oriton to Ivinia and back again desperately. They both shrugged. She sighed in despair.

XxxX

Aran and Arinia were too exhausted to move. They lay on the desert sand, completely naked and unconscious.

"Th-thirty-six… holy crap…" Styx whispered as the rest of them packed up. "They've both got stamina like the Goddesses."

"Please, let's not think about it…" Saimana said. She looked as tired as the rest of them; they obviously couldn't get much sleep with the two women screaming and moaning… or, more specifically, Aran.

"Somebody has to wake those two up…" Vaati trailed off.

Immediately, both Ronin and Kana raised their hands. "Not it," Kana said for them. After that, it fell on Romani to do it.

The red-haired Hylian slid down the dune, muttering, "…Never get any respect… Sure, make the Hylian do it…"

She shook the two women gently, her face burning red. She wasn't a lesbian, but knowing what they had done still made her embarrassed.

When they finally began to wake up, Arinia came around first. She opened her eyes sleepily. "Wha… what happened?" She mumbled. Romani quickly scrambled back up the dune, out of sight before Arinia fully woke up.

About ten seconds later, they heard the scream of, "GET UP, ARAN! GET UP! IF YOU'RE TIRED, IT'S YOUR FAULT! UP!"

XxxX

Aran was waddling most of the day, at the back of the group. Arinia was at the front, her arms crossed, and she didn't spare the brown-haired warrior a single glance.

"Legs hurt… so bad…" Aran mumbled. The only thing she remembered from the night before was _extreme_ amounts of pleasure, so much that it began to turn into pain. Her private area ached worse than it ever had, and her entire body felt raw.

XxxX

Linika hummed a tune to herself as she entered Kakariko. It had been a week since they had taken Suko. The Gerudo had almost failed to capture Kri, but they had somehow succeeded after nearly half of them were blown to bits in an explosion.

They _were_ known to be persistent, she recalled. And Aveil certainly lived up to that standard while bragging about their victory. Linika had then told her that while the Gerudo's assault on Kri took two _days_ to end in victory, the capture of Suko only took a mere thirty minutes.

That shut her up.

The Hylian woman yawned as she made her way through the crowded streets of Kakariko. After Castle Town had been assaulted, the once-sleepy mountain village had turned into a bustling city. Seemingly perpetual construction, lively markets, and throngs of people filled the now stone-laid streets. There was barely enough room to accommodate everyone from Castle Town, in addition to all the people already living there.

She came to a stop at the well in the back of the town. Since it had been unable to expand to the north and the east because of Death Mountain and the surrounding canyon, the town had expanded west; too many feared the wrath of the Goddesses if they had moved a single stone of the sacred graveyard where Hyrule's Royal Family laid. The expansion had involved quite a few explosions to clear the natural rock wall surrounding the village, and the leftover stone was used to construct houses, inns, and other buildings.

Since Kakariko – being not only the liveliest town in Hyrule but the headquarters of the rebel army as well – could obviously not be left exposed with a gaping hole in its defense, nearly half the army, plus a few willing Gorons, were assigned to monitoring the land to the west of the construction.

Except for the occasional monster that foolishly tried to attack alone, all was well.

Linika stared into the well, which was, as ever, filled with crystal-clear water. Her reflection stared back at her, for a second seemingly becoming a blonde-haired man. As soon as he had appeared, however, he was gone, leaving behind the same red-haired Hylian woman.

_If only._ The former Hero of Time thought wistfully, continuing to stare into the water in a fruitless attempt to bring back the reflection and somehow make it real.

"Staring into that well, however much you may want it to, will not bring back the past."

Linika sighed, turning to face Impa. The two stood there for a second, staring into each other's eyes. The distant buzz of the lively market continued on in the background. After a moment, Linika turned back to the well.

"I just… I wonder sometimes if things would be different if I was a man," she said quietly. "If Siria hadn't been born. If I had married Zelda like I'd planned to... If I'd just killed him instead of letting him go."

"If you killed him, would things really be different?" Impa asked. Linika turned to her in surprise.

"What do you mean? Of course they would! I wouldn't be fighting him, and Hyrule – no, the world wouldn't have to deal with the monsters all over!"

"Are you sure?" Impa questioned, calm as ever. "The Shiekah have a saying, Linika. _Hakuta min otor, _in Hylian."

"History repeats itself," Linika murmured. "What's your point?"

"If Ganondorf had died, how could you be sure one of his most powerful followers wouldn't take his place? I've heard rumors that some of his minions are more powerful than he himself."

"…I see," Linika said.

The Sage of Shadow turned around and walked away, leaving her to her thoughts.

XxxX

Siria, Ivinia, and Oriton peered over the edge of the large chasm known as the Telmir divide. A short distance away, the remains of the stone bridge stood broken; an offhanded comment from Oriton had caused Ivinia to become enraged, causing quite a few explosions. As a result of the little episode, now the only way to cross was to go down.

A small, winding path that began not too far from where they were trailed downwards into the inky blackness.

Siria was very worried. Even though she had saved some time by cutting through the forest and the Furora Fields, they still had eight months left until they reached Hyrule. If they went around the Divide, it would take them an extra four or five months, meaning Ganondorf would have extra time to prepare for her return. If they went through it, they were almost certain to die.

She had no idea what to do.

"What do we do?" She whispered anxiously.

"We go through it."

Siria and Ivinia looked at Oriton in shock. He had a grim, yet determined expression on his face as he stared downwards. He held his axe tightly in his hands. He looked at Siria, staring her straight in the eyes.

"Coward," he accused quietly. "How could you even think it was a choice in the first place? You know that we don't have the time to go around."

"But…"

"But what?" His eyes narrowed. "You think it's an option to go around just because you're scared that you'll die if you don't?" He stood, glaring down at her. "That's the bullshit excuse of a coward not fit to be the Hero of Time. You don't deserve to bear the symbol of Courage on your hands if that's how you think."

Without another word, he walked towards the start of the path and began descending it.

They could only follow.

And hope, fervently, that they would survive what was to come.

XxxX

**A/N; I forgot to mention, starting next chapter… written in this section before the end chapter label… there will be… *drum roll***

**OMAKES!**

**What? Disappointed? Too bad!**

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER VII

END

XXXXX

**A/N; I hope the wait for this one didn't piss you guys off **_**too**_** much- where is everyone?! Ah, crap, I knew it took too long to get out…**

**Anyway, if you're actually reading this, it means you're 1.) a really nice person, 2.) persistent, and 3.) awesome. I'm really sorry about the wait, everyone! I hope the length compensates for it. If it cheers you up at all, I have several other stories that might be posted soon. They're for the Skyrim, Vocaloid, and (possibly,) Minecraft categories, and I hope (if I ever get around to finishing most of the first chapters) that you like them!**


	8. Chapter VIII

Forever, My Love

Chapter VIII

**Yet another delayed update. Please don't hurt me. I had no inspiration whatsoever. Anyways, I was... *cough* reminded by one of my friends that I should **_**probably**_** add a disclaimer. So, I have to repeat the usual everyday crap:**

_**I don't own the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own Fire Emblem. Both of these are claimed by Nintendo. However, I do own this story, its plot, and a good amount of the characters contained within, along with all nations with the exception of those on the continent of Tellius, and the country of Hyrule. All elements of this story, except those owned by Nintendo, I own and will distribute, withhold, and manipulate as I see fit.**_

**Now that I finally have that said, let's get on with the eighth chapter of Forever, My Love!**

XxxX

Siria held her torch out in front of her, piercing through the inky blackness with a soft glow. Ivinia and Oriton followed behind her as she made her way forward, with her hand on her spear's shaft, tensed in her anxiousness of a possible attack. The fog above them obscured the view of the sky, preventing any sunlight from reaching the bottom of the chasm. Broken weapons, armor, and mangled skeletons were scattered about.

Siria's Triforce symbols glowed faintly on the backs of her hands, giving off a faint light.

"There's something here," Ivinia whispered quietly. "And I don't think it likes visitors."

The chasm's bottom was strangely wide, and it felt like they had been walking for hours. The silence weighed on their ears heavily.

"I don't like this," Siria said, her gaze scanning around her. She pointed at a skeleton impaled into the ground with its own femur. "We've passed that something like five times now. Something's wrong."

Her voice echoed off the stone walls around them, fading back into the silence in a short time.

"We need to get out of here. _Now,_" Oriton stated grimly, taking his axe from its straps on his back.

"Wait," Ivinia said suddenly, tilting her head. "Is that... breathing?"

The other two listened intently. Indeed, it seemed that something was breathing. It sounded large and heavy, and seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"Perhaps it's the wind," Siria suggested.

"Some wind," Oriton replied. "I agree with Ivinia. Something doesn't want us here."

...And that statement was aided by a large, spiked tail smashing into the wall above their heads.

"...I'm inclined to agree..." Siria said, but her voice was lost to the fearsome roar of the dragon.

XxxX

Kana knew of two types of deserts. There was the kind that had cacti and flat, hard ground, which were the kind he'd never been in. Then there was the other kind, the kind Kana and his companions were in now, the kind with just endless, shifting sand.

In the first, he might've expected torrential rain.

In the second, he wouldn't even consider it as a possibility.

So to say he was surprised at the moment would be a _bit_ of an understatement.

The group dragged through the mud-like sand, desperate to reach some kind of solid ground before one of them was swallowed into the sand-turned-quicksand. Rain poured heavily around them, soaking them to the bone.

It had been an hour since the rain first started, and they had already had a few close calls.

Finally, at the head of the group, Ronin climbed onto a large rock that had probably once been covered by sand. He helped the rest of them climb up until they were all resting safely on it, watching the sand turn into a deathly river of mud around them.

"You know," Vaati panted. "The last time something like this happened to me, I was in a complete ocean. And I had a boat."

"Wherever Siria is..." Kana collapsed onto his stomach, exhausted. "There's no way she's having as much trouble as we are..."

XxxX

If only he knew how wrong he was.

Siria yanked her crooked sword from her belt, leaping to the side as the massive tail came down again where she had been standing not two seconds before. The beast emerged into the light, and she saw it clearly for the first time.

The dragon was an emerald green, each of its scales as large as a young child, all razor sharp and pointed at the tips. Its wings were bent at unnatural angles, obviously broken to the point of uselessness. The large head was flat and broad, like it had been flattened by something, but the mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth that could easily puncture the strongest armor.

She had to admit, she'd never believed that dragons really existed.

Siria glanced to the side. Ivinia was kneeling next to Oriton, who was unconscious and had a large cut on his forehead. She instantly knew that they wouldn't be able to help.

She looked back at the dragon, which was now staring at her with its two large, lizard-like eyes. It didn't quite look hostile, but it didn't exactly look friendly, not to mention how it had tried to hit her with its tail.

Siria hesitated.

And she nearly died because of it.

She ducked as a massive jet of flame erupted from the dragon's mouth, barely avoiding being burned to death. She could feel the heat pass over her, her skin feeling raw.

Siria's instincts took over, and she rolled forward to avoid the dragon's next strike, another whip of the tail. She grabbed hold of the scaly appendage, and the dragon immediately began flailing it around, smashing it into the canyon walls in an attempt to get her to let go. Siria held on with all her might. On her hands, her Triforce symbols shone like miniature suns. Gritting her teeth, the red-haired heroine began to climb along the tail, the dragon still flailing. She lost her grip with one hand, her body now flying around like a ragdoll.

Siria felt like her arm would tear off as she grabbed hold with the other hand again, continuing to climb the tail until she reached the dragon's back. She was only halfway up its back when it stood upright, forcing her to grab the base of the left wing and hold tight until it went back to all four legs, roaring in fury. She ran for the head, climbing onto it and was again forced to hold on - this time to one of the monster's ear-holes - as it thrashed about, smashing its head into walls to try and crush her.

Still hanging on with one hand, Siria lifted her sword with one hand and stabbed the dragon in the eye in desperation.

Instantly, green blood burst forth from the wound and the dragon gave a mighty heave, finally succeeding in tossing her off.

She barely managed to land with a roll, standing shakily. Behind her, the dragon continued to thrash about, continuing to bash its head into walls in an attempt to get her sword out. It gradually slowed, and finally, it came to a complete stop, collapsing onto the ground with an earth-shaking thud.

Siria's Triforce symbols faded rapidly until they were barely visible, and the young woman's eyes rolled up in her head as she fell to the ground.

XxxX

When Siria woke up, she was being carried by Oriton. She blinked a few times, looking around.

They were surrounded by mountains on either side. Behind Oriton, a familiar looking chasm stretched downward into blackness. Ivinia was on Oriton's other side, looking ragged and tired. Above her, the stars twinkled and flickered in the night sky.

"We made it?" She asked sleepily, drowsiness still present in her mind.

Oriton nodded. "Yes, we made it. Thanks to you. I guess I was wrong about you after all."

Siria smiled tiredly, then went back to sleep.

XxxX

Linika leaped backward, away from the Lizalfos' sword strike, raising her shield to deflect its next blow. She ducked as the other Lizalfos that had been behind her tried to decapitate her, kicking it in the stomach. She heard it hiss in pain as it staggered backwards, and she stood up, quickly finishing off the first Lizalfos with a forward stab.

Pulling her blade from the monster's corpse, she turned and groaned loudly. The Lizalfos had cried for help in its high-pitched yelp, and now, she had to fight five more.

The red-haired woman was in what remained of Castle Town, looking for survivors. A few of her strategists had begged her not to go alone, telling her it would be suicide.

She scoffed at the memory, readying her shield before charging back into combat.

She may have been older, and she may not have been the Hero of Time, but she was certainly not going down without a fight when her own daughter was doing her best to save everyone.

And there was no way in _hell_ she would ever let Ganondorf win.

XxxX

"I hate my life," Romani complained.

It had been two days since the storm, and the sand had become safe to walk on once again. The starving group of warriors had climbed down from their rock to a _very_ unpleasant surprise.

It wasn't a rock.

It was the remnants of a stone pillar.

It meant, against all odds, and to everyone's shock and despair, they were back at the ruins.

"Well," Saimana began tiredly, beginning to look around. "We better start looking for the entrance..."

XxxX

"We can't try to cross it again," Styx said. "We just don't have enough time."

"What else can we do?" Ashini argued. "There's no other way out."

The group had found the entrance once again, and they were now camped in the entrance hall to the castle, debating whether or not to attempt crossing the desert again.

"Wait a second," Vaati said suddenly. Everyone looked up in surprise; she hadn't spoken since they had gotten off the rock, over five days before. "That wall... The one from when I was trapped here before. Can't we use that to relive another memory?"

Aran and Arinia looked at each other nervously.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Arinia told Vaati.

"Why?" Kana asked.

"We didn't want to tell you before, but..." Aran trailed off nervously. "That wall isn't really something you want to be around too much."

"Why?" Kana repeated.

"Well, it kind of screws with the progression of time..." Aran replied anxiously. "If you use it, there's no guarantee you'll just relive a memory..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vaati questioned.

"There's sort of a risk that you could get sent somewhere else in time entirely." Arinia scratched the back of her head, a sweatdrop forming on her forehead. "It's not the safest thing in the world."

There was a long silence, during which they all stared at the two Ancient Hylians.

Finally, Kana spoke up.

"Fuck it." He stood up, dusting himself off. "It's not like we have a choice at this point."

The rest of them, with the exception of Aran and Arinia, agreed. The latter two sighed.

"Do you even listen to us?" Aran asked exasperatedly.

"Yes, occasionally," Romani said jokingly. The two ancient Queens stood up as well.

"Come with us," Arinia told them.

XXXX

_"...nk..._

_"Link..._

_"Link, please... wake up..."_

_This voice..._

_Where... am I?_

_Who... am I?_

_Link._

_I am Link._

_And this voice..._

_Zelda..._

_Zelda!_

_I sit up quickly, my eyes flying open. My hand reaches for the Master Sword at my belt before I'm even fully coherent._

_I'm in what looks like a small bedroom, in a large bed with white sheets. Sunlight streams in through the white curtains on the windows. My hand is reaching for a sword that isn't there. An ornate white dresser is pushed against one wall, next to a vanity and mirror._

_Sitting next to me, in a chair..._

_Zelda..._

_"Princess..." I whisper, reaching a hand out to touch her, to make sure this is real. I can't extend my arm fully before a spasm of pain takes hold of my entire body, pushing me down into the pillows. Strands of red obscure the edges of my vision._

_Red... hair?_

_My hair isn't red..._

_"Link... you're awake..." Zelda sighs in relief. "Thank the Goddesses! How do you feel?_

_I groan, looking at her. "I..."_

_I stop._

_This voice._

_It isn't mine._

_It sounds nothing like me._

_It sounds like a girl's._

_Ignoring the sudden creeping thought at the edge of my subconscious, I respond to Zelda's question. "I feel like I've been run over by a horde of moblins," I croak honestly._

_"Well, I can't say I expected any different," Zelda mutters, looking away and crossing her arms. "The things you lived through..." She trails off, giving me a sad, apologetic look._

_"Princess... where are we?" I manage to ask._

_"Hyrule Castle," she says quietly. I'm surprised at this._

_"But... I thought it was destroyed!" I point out. She gives me another sad look._

_"Link... After... After what happened... I sent you back in time. To seven years before. But you... you were... changed... by Ganondorf... and you fell asleep."_

_"Changed?" I echo in confusion. I do seem to remember Ganondorf casting a spell just before he was sealed, but... "How long have I... been asleep?"_

_She smiles weakly. "Care to take a guess...?"_

_I groan. "You can't be serious... Seven years...?"_

_"Yes... Link, I'm sorry, I tried to wake you..." She doesn't finish, leaving us in a silence that is more uncomfortable than the time Darunia hugged me. "But the spell that Ganondorf cast... couldn't be dispelled..."_

_"So he made me lose my chance at a peaceful childhood again? That was his goal?" I question. She shakes her head._

_"Not... not exactly..." She hesitates._

_"Um... then what __was__ his goal, exactly?"_

_She looks around uncomfortably, picking up a small hand mirror from the bedside table and holding it to my face._

_"WHAT THE HELL?!" I shout. My throat burns and my head pounds at the strain of making such a loud noise, but I don't care._

_Staring back at me is the reflection of a young woman with the white skin and pointed ears of a Hylian but the red hair and blue eyes of a Gerudo. Her cheeks are flushed a deep red, and she looks shocked, her eyes wide._

_No way!_

_Why would he...?!_

_A sudden wave of nausea slips over me, and I grab the metal bucket that Zelda has had enough foresight to place next to the bed. I heave, puking repeatedly until the nausea fades. I weakly hand the bucket back to her, and she pulls the string of a small bell. It chimes lightly, and a maid knocks, then enters, taking the bucket with a bow and exiting._

_"So... was that... am I...?" I whisper fearfully. She nods reluctantly._

_"I am afraid that the spell he used has some... far-reaching side-effects..."_

_"How... how far along am I...?" I ask quietly._

_"About two months..."_

_I sigh in despair._

_"So __that__ was what he did... Will the child be... you know...?" I trail off._

_"Not unless you decide to pass it on, no. The child will be perfectly normal," she responds softly, reaching for my hand and taking it._

_"Link... there's something... something I need to tell you..." She confesses. I look at her, expecting another nasty surprise._

_"Link... I..." She begins, flushing lightly. "I've thought about this long and hard... You don't deserve it, after what I put you through... but..." She pauses._

_"I... I love you..."_

_I freeze as the meaning of her words reaches my brain, and I am immediately overcome with joy. Then, I'm stopped by a sudden, shattering realization._

_I have no choice... Before she falls even deeper in love with me..._

_"Princess..." I whisper sadly. "You've no idea... You've no idea at all... how much I've longed to hear that... but... I cannot accept your love... as much as I want to..."_

_"Wh... Why?!" She whispers, pain flashing through her eyes. I look away, not wanting her to see the tears in my own eyes._

_"Because... A commoner and a Princess? The people would never accept it... Not to mention..." I gesture at myself. "We're both women now. Any chance we'd had... it's just gone..."_

_"Fine," she interrupts softly. "I thought... I thought you would understand. I thought you would love me as well... I can see now that I was wrong."_

_She stands up and exits the room, closing the door softly behind her, and I'm left alone with my sadness._

XXXX

Linika sighed as the memory played through her mind, emotions that she had locked inside her long ago threatening to swell up and overtake her. She forced them back down with pure willpower, returning her focus to the task at hand.

She was still in the remnants of Castle Town. It had been three days, and she had covered about a quarter of the town, not finding a single friendly living thing. Currently, she was camped in an abandoned inn that had once been called the Stock Pot Inn. She had fixed herself a small breakfast of biscuits and milk. She wanted to leave the town to resupply, but she reasoned that the longer she waited - and it had already been quite a while - the less likely that she would find any survivors. The monsters in the town were on par with a full-fledged human soldier. In addition, her inability to access or wield the Master Sword was making things even more difficult.

Carefully checking the alley the inn was located in beforehand, Linika stepped out. She had a lot of work to do.

XxxX

When Siria came around again, Oriton was still carrying her. Her hand burned with a faint pain, making her cringe slightly. Her Triforce symbol was no longer just glowing; it was shining, pulsing, emitting a golden aura every few seconds.

They were still in the mountains. It was daytime this time, and built into the mountainsides on either side of the path were large, stone towers that were crumbling with age.

Siria gave no indication that she had regained consciousness as she thought of her dream. The shock, the sadness, the horror...

_"It all felt so real."_

Siria had, of course, realized that the dream was not a dream at all, but memories she received from the previous Bearer of the Triforce of Courage, the memory in question being when her mother woke up and discovered she was a woman. Siria was confused about the dream as well; her mother had once told her that she had never thought of the Queen as anything but a mere acquaintance, just a princess to be saved for Hyrule's benefit. The thought that they had been close friends, almost lovers...

It screwed with her head a little; why had Linika, the most honest person Siria had ever known, lied to her own daughter about having feelings for the Queen?

_"Unless..."_

What if her mother _still_ loved the Queen, who was unmarried and had never been courted? What if Linika thought that there was still a way for the two of them to be together?

_"How could she? She said it herself, all those years ago; they're of totally different standings, not to mention that the people of Hyrule are narrow-minded..."_

This was true; Siria and Saimana had been forced to hide their relationship from the general public, a task not aided by the fact that Saimana was a visiting princess. And _she_ wasn't from Hyrule; Siria couldn't imagine the ridicule that would spring from a relationship between a commoner half-Gerudo and the Hylian Queen, both of whom were women.

Putting her thoughts aside for the moment, Siria tapped Oriton on the shoulder.

"I'm awake."

He set her down wordlessly, and she looked around. There were no monsters in sight, but the ruined towers looked like they could hold more than a few...

"Nervous?" Ivinia asked. Siria looked at her.

"A little. My hand hurts, and that's usually..." She glanced around. "...Not good."

XxxX

Zelda looked up calmly as Ganondorf stormed into her quarters, his black aura burning around him.

"YOU WHORE! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" He roared, seizing Zelda by the throat and slamming her against the wall. Her vision swam with red.

"I... did nothing..." She croaked. "It's... the sword..."

His grip on her slackened considerably as his eyes narrowed, knowing exactly which sword she meant. "What about the sword? Speak."

Zelda gasped for a few moments before replying. "The closer she gets, the more the sword resonates with the Triforce of Courage, awakening more and more of her true strength."

"How can I stop this? Tell me, and you will live." Ganondorf threatened, unsheathing his sword. Zelda shook her head, a small smirk appearing on her lips.

"Even the Triforce of Power cannot stop this reaction. The only way to completely prevent it would be to kill her or destroy the sword."

The King of Evil growled in frustration; he knew that he could do neither at the moment. The Door of Time was still firmly shut, and Siria was still quite far from Hyrule. "...I see. We shall speak again, Queen of Hyrule."

As he stalked out, slamming the door behind him, Zelda silently looked out the window. She had left out that Siria would be assaulted by memories of the previous bearers until she actually reached the Master Sword, making her increasingly vulnerable as she neared Hyrule.

XXXX

_I can't do it. I really can't._

_I stare at myself in the mirror, completely silent._

_This... can't be me._

_This is wrong._

_This is wrong!_

_It's so fucking unbelievably wrong! I'm now a woman, who's also pregnant with the King of Evil's child! The King of Evil who made me lose seven years of my life and made everyone suffer!_

_It's so fucking wrong! Fuck!_

_I punch the wall next to me in frustration, my shoulders heaving. An audible crack sounds, followed by pain. I look, seeing my knuckles bleeding and one of my fingers now broken. I grimace._

_"Why...?" I whisper._

_This wasn't supposed to happen..._

_"WHY?!"_

_I collapse to the floor and begin to sob senselessly, losing myself in the self-pity, anger, and frustration..._

XXXX

Kana came around slowly, sitting up and rubbing his head. He was sitting on something hard. He looked around, seeing that he was surrounded by people who were standing, a few of them companions of his. He stood as well.

He was in a crowd of people gathered in a city square, around a chopping block on a wooden platform. A decidedly evil-looking woman with blue hair was standing next to a headsman and a purple-haired woman that reminded Kana quite a bit of Vaati, except her hair was cut short. There was no doubt in his mind that it had been cut for the execution.

"People of Okani," the evil-looking woman began. Kana's eyes narrowed. He knew her now, by her voice. She was Masori, Empress of Arkon. "Standing before you is Evari Anatogan, traitorous former Queen of Okani, guilty of resisting the Arkon Empire! Now, she suffers the consequences of her actions! Let this be an example to those who may think of defying us!"

The purple-haired woman, head held high, was pushed down to her knees, then forced to lay, the side of her face against the chopping block.

Kana felt a hand gripping his shoulder. He looked, to see Vaati, her expression unreadable. The rest of the group was behind her.

"We're leaving," she said emotionlessly, looking him in the eyes. He suddenly had to ask;

"Vaati, is this memory..."

"Now," she cut him off, her grip on his shoulder tightening. He allowed himself to be steered out of the crowds and towards a deserted alley.

"MOTHER!" A woman's voice screamed, and Kana saw another purple-haired woman rush up to the edge of the platform as he was led away.

Not long after, they turned the corner and Vaati nearly collapsed into Aran and Arinia. The two women held their close friend up on her feet, hugging her as she began to sob.

"Shh... It's all right, Vaati..." Aran whispered.

"Mother..." Vaati choked. "Mother..."

"It'll end soon, I promise," Arinia murmured as Vaati continued her sobbing.

"Let me out of the memory! Please!" She sobbed. "I don't want to..."

THUD.

SLCH.

Vaati fell to the ground, puked, and began shaking, assuming the fetal position.

"Mother..." She whispered over and over, eyes wide but unseeing. Kana looked at her in shock.

Vaati was... like him?

She was a princess?

And she'd gone through... _that_?!

XxxX

"Siria! Snap out of it!" Ivinia screamed.

The three were surrounded by monsters that had come from all the cracks and crevices imaginable, and Siria was simply standing still, forcing the other two to defend her. The redhead had a distant look on her face, and her Triforce symbol was burning brighter than ever.

Ivinia watched in horror as a moblin made it past Oriton, going at Siria with its spear. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what happened next.

She waited a few seconds, and cracked an eye open.

Then her jaw dropped with shock.

Siria was holding the moblin's spear, which had been driven through its owner's gut. The redhead pulled the spear free, standing up straight and throwing it straight through a moblin that had been sneaking up on Ivinia from behind. She then drew her sword and began to fight alongside the other two with speed that seemed godlike. In a matter of minutes, they were surrounded by a crowd of corpses, with Siria panting heavily and sheathing her sword. She turned to Ivinia and Oriton.

"I was having a vision, but I'm fine now. Let's go." Her tone was short and emotionless.

Ivinia looked at Oriton, raising an eyebrow. The Prince of Malin shrugged, and they followed after Siria, continuing on their way.

XxxX

_Omake_

_Rejected Again..._

A redheaded woman sat atop the hill overlooking Kakariko Village, gazing into the distance.

Linika pulled out the Ocarina of Time, gently playing the tune of the Song of Time, allowing her mind to drift back into memories of when she was the Hero of Time. As she played, tears came to her eyes.

_"Zelda... I... I'm sorry..._

_"I'm so sorry, my love..."_

"You know you won't change anything by torturing yourself like that," a voice spoke from behind her. "So why do you continue to do so?"

Linika lowered the Ocarina from her lips, allowing her head to sink. "...rve it..."

Nabooru walked over to her friend and sat down beside her. "Hmm?"

"I... deserve it..." Linika whispered.

"How so?" Nabooru asked softly, leaning inwards.

"I'm a failure as a mother, a lover, and the Hero of Time. How could I not deserve to spend eternity forced to dwell on the past?" Linika smiled sadly, looking at her friend, her eyes widening.

"I hate it..." Nabooru whispered, pushing Linika to the ground and placing her arms on either side of her head.

"I hate it when you lie to yourself like that... insulting yourself and torturing yourself for no reason..." Nabooru breathed, inhaling the other woman's scent.

"N-Nabooru..." Linika stuttered, transfixed.

"Linika..." Nabooru leaned in, her lips just a hair apart from Linika's. "...How many times do I have to tell you I love you... before you stop hurting yourself and love me back...?"

Their lips met softly, and Linika's body reacted by itself, pulling Nabooru down and closing her eyes as she deepened the kiss.

_"Nabooru..."_

"Nabooru, you're needed at- Oh, Nayru! U-um... Please, excuse me!"

Linika's eyes opened, and she saw a young Gerudo woman standing not too far away. Slowly, she realized what position she was in, and what was happening.

"Get off!" Linika said, her face reddening as she shoved Nabooru off of her. She turned towards the other Gerudo, her glare turning demon-like.

"You saw nothing! Understand?" She asked fiercely. The Gerudo began to shiver, nodding weakly as she retreated down the hill.

"Dammit..." Nabooru pouted from behind Linika. "I almost had you that time, too..."

Linika flushed, stalking away without a word, too embarrassed to say anything in reply.

Nabooru lay in the grass, sighing.

_"Rejected again..."_

She smiled ever so slightly.

_"Linika, I swear..._

_"I'll get you to return my love, and I'll erase that pain I always see in your eyes..._

_"...Even if it's the very last thing I ever do."_

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER VIII

END

XXXXX

**A/N; Holy shit... It's finally done.**

**I'm aware that this chapter is short, but hey, I had a really severe case of writer's block that I'm not quite through with yet. However, at least this thing got done, right?**

**...Right?**

**Ah, whatever. As long as this thing is finally done. I have a feeling the next chapter is gonna be hell, though...**

**It's probably gonna be a while until the next chapter comes out, but I'll make sure it'll be plenty long to compensate for the wait and the shortness of this one.**

**With that, I smell spaghetti, so I'm off for now!**

**Ciao,**

**TLoZTFH**


	9. Chapter IX

Forever, My Love

Chapter IX

**Well, we're almost there. We're on the home stretch as far as this story goes, guys. I don't know yet how many more chapters there will be, but there will definitely be no more than fourteen, for sure. After a long bout with motivation and inspiration issues, I can finally get back to this story, and work on finally finishing it. I know how I want to end it, and I just have to fill in the gaps of the basic outline I've got.**

**Enough of my babbling. Let's get to what you came for. Here's the ninth chapter of Forever, My Love.**

XxxX

Water.

Birds.

Leaves rustling.

Vaati's eyelids twitched. These noises were keeping her from going back to sleep...

With a loud yawn, the purple-haired woman sat up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. The sight that greeted her was odd, but not completely foreign.

A long seashore stretched in either direction, as far as she could see. She was sitting on soft, golden-white sand. Behind her, a large forest teemed with life.

_"Where..."_

The last thing she could recall was her and her comrades using the wall in the ruins, then...

Vaati's eyes widened, and she shut off her line of thought before it could proceed. When the memory ended, she had wound up wherever she was, somehow. Obviously, her companions had to be nearby, because about ten feet away, a couple bedrolls surrounded the ashes of a fire.

Her robes were gone. She was now wearing a simple brown tunic and brown pants, bandages around her forehead.

Leaves rustled behind her, signaling the arrival of one of her companions.

"...still unconscious, as far as I know."

"Exactly why you shouldn't have left her there. What if someone came along and took...?" Arinia trailed off as she noticed Vaati, sitting up and looking at them.

"What? Why'd you stop..." Aran, too, stopped talking. "Oh."

Arinia walked over to Vaati, sitting down next to her. "How do you feel?" She asked gently.

Vaati's vision swam slightly as she responded. "Um... odd. Where are we?"

"Atonu. When the memory ended, we were here."

"How long has it been?"

"About four months."

Vaati's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine, Vaati," Aran said warmly, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Everyone else went on ahead to get to Hyrule, while we stayed to wait for your recovery. It was bad for your recovery to move you around too much."

"What happened to me, exactly?"

Arinia and Aran looked at each other uncertainly.

"Well, you had a bit of an episode," Aran answered slowly. "After... what happened, you kind of went half-unconscious and started trying to kill every living thing you could find. It ended up with you taking several arrows and a spear before passing out, looking like you were dead. As it is, you probably shouldn't be sitting up."

Vaati traced her fingers along several new scars all around her body. "I'm fine now. We have to move, as soon as possible. I have to be there when Siria faces Ganondorf."

"...Why?"

"I had a vision. We have to go."

"That's not..." Arinia trailed off as Vaati pushed herself to her feet, wavering unsteadily for a few seconds before standing up straight.

"I don't know why, but I know that I absolutely _have_ to be there."

Aran and Arinia glanced at each other again, shrugging.

"If that's the case," Aran began. "There's a town nearby where we've been buying supplies to help you. There are a few horses for sale, but we'll be using more money than we should."

"What do you mean?"

"We mean that if we want horses _and_ food, we're going to have to hunt our food from now on," Arinia said.

"We can buy two horses; one for you two, and one for..."

"No way in hell, Vaati," they said simultaneously.

"There's absolutely no way you're riding alone. I'm riding with you," Aran said.

"I'm not a child, you two. I can ride by myself." Vaati pouted.

"No, you can't. And you won't," Aran replied firmly, picking her up with a shriek from the Dark Sage.

"Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Vaati exclaimed, blushing.

"Well, you're not walking to the village," Aran told her, as if it was obvious. Vaati sighed, resigning herself to her friends' kindness.

XxxX

"Well, we're not far off now," Romani told her companions, gesturing at the tall, lone mountain in the distance. "I'm fairly sure that's Death Mountain."

"Is that supposed to mean something to us?" Kana questioned. The Hylian woman nodded.

"Yes. Not only is Death Mountain on the border of Hyrule, at the base of it lies the village we're waiting for Siria in, Kakariko."

"Oh."

"Well, from the looks of it, we're about a day out, and it's getting dark," Styx pointed out.

"Styx is right," Saimana said. "Let's rest up for now, all right?"

They all agreed, and began to go about setting up camp for the night.

XxxX

Oriton, Ivinia, and Siria walked in silence. Or, rather, Oriton and Ivinia did.

Siria was once again having one of her episodes, again carried slung over Oriton's shoulder.

They were traveling through Malsia, deep in the woodlands of the heavily forested land. Despite how close they were to their destination, they were not very excited, or even relieved. Siria's loss of consciousness had continued to increase in frequency, now happening at least twice a week. However, her Triforce symbols grew in brightness with every step, and she seemed more skilled the nearer she got to Hyrule.

XxXx

_I must be in Hell. There's no other explanation for the shit going on around me._

_Fires burn, chunks of scorched earth fly everywhere with the explosions going off all around, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers wage war on an endless tide of monsters. All the while, I stand here, clutching the Master Sword and facing Ganon, blood pouring from my wounds, and my eye socket shut tightly to prevent further bleeding from the now-empty hole. I hold the Master Sword tightly, afraid to let go, afraid to lose my grip on the only thing that seems real in this chaos._

_"HERO OF TIME!" An all-too-familiar voice roars over the din, the giant pig-like monster that is Ganon glaring down at me. "THE END FOR YOU DRAWS NEAR!"_

_I wish I could say that I roar something like, "BRING IT ON!" or, "YOURS AS WELL!" in return._

_That's simply not true. I'm scared out of my mind right now, more than I've ever been. The absolute terror prevents me from even moving. I want to run away, but I can't._

_This is the thing that killed Zelda, and she was infinitely stronger than I could ever hope to be. I don't stand a chance._

_I stare in terror with my remaining eye, trying to will myself to even move._

_As Ganon raises his axe, preparing to bring an end to this miserable existence, I close my eye._

_"I'm sorry, Zelda," I whisper._

_No. Not just Zelda._

_"I'm sorry, Hyrule. I've... failed you all..."_

_I experience a second of blinding pain, and then I can feel nothing more._

xXxX

_"Nnng..."_

_...Where am I...?_

_...What happened to me...?_

_"It's about time you came around." A soft voice teases._

_I know that voice. I know it, but it's impossible that I'm hearing it, unless I'm dead. I slowly open my eyes, and I can do little more than sigh in amazement and stare._

_"You had me worried for a second there, you know?" Zelda tells me, brushing some hair away from my face. "I thought Ganon was going to scatter your brains in the grass."_

_"...Zelda...?" I croak hoarsely, unable to move. She nods, stroking my cheek lovingly._

_"I'm glad you're alive, Link," she murmurs. "If you hadn't lost consciousness, who knows where your body would be."_

_"But... you're..."_

_Zelda shakes her head. "No, but I'm glad you fell for it. In order to deceive your enemies, you need to deceive your allies first, no?"_

_I smile weakly. "I guess so. What happened with Ganon?"_

_"You beat the shit out of him," she says bluntly. "After you lost consciousness, the Triforce woke you back up in a sort of godlike state. You obviously didn't kill him, as he's immortal and all, but seeing as you chopped him into pieces so tiny they were barely distinguishable from dust, I don't think anyone will have to worry about him for a very, very long time."_

_I close my eyes happily. "How did you heal my eye?"_

_"I could tell you, but the description would probably make even you sick." She pokes me in the forehead lightly. I grimace._

_"I'll try not to think about it too much."_

_"Good choice."_

_I lay in silence next to her for a while, before speaking again. "Hey, Zelda?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"We did it, didn't we?"_

_She smiles broadly, kissing my cheek. "Yes, we did. Thanks to you."_

_"And you."_

_"I only did what I needed to. You're the hero."_

_Again, there's a long silence between us._

_"...Zelda?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_I cast my gaze away from her, ashamed to what I'm admitting. "During... during my fight with Ganon, I was scared. And not just a little. I was so scared, so absolutely fucking terrified, I felt like I was being torn apart at the seams by the fear. I couldn't even move. I couldn't even fucking blink, I was so scared. Isn't that... aren't I pathetic?"_

_"No, not really," she replies calmly. I look at her in surprise._

_"Aren't you... aren't you disgusted with me? For feeling scared?"_

_She shakes her head slowly, kissing me once before speaking. "Link, just because you have the Triforce of Courage does not mean you're supposed to be fearless. To not be afraid of anything is to not be a mortal. You are a man, not a god, and all men feel fear. For example, when I thought you were going to die, I was more afraid than I'd ever been in my life. I thought I was going to lose you forever." Tears form in her eyes, and she leans over to whisper in my ear. "I thank the Goddesses to no end that I didn't. I couldn't live without you, Link, fears and all."_

_I can do little more than slightly curve into her, inhaling her scent and sighing, reassured._

_"If you say so, I will believe it, my Queen," I say softly._

_"I love you, Link."_

_"And I, you."_

xXxX

"...ke up..."

Romani groaned, rolling over. She mumbled something incoherent. Kana grimaced, then shook her again.

"Wake up, Romani. We're almost to Hyrule, remember?"

"Mmph... 'o away..." Romani moaned. Kana sighed, looking at Saimana helplessly. The silver-haired woman smiled, then bent down, lowering her mouth to Romani's ear.

"Romani, if you don't wake up, Ashini says she's going to let all your cuccoos out, scare the horses, and butcher the cows," she whispered.

Romani finally sat up with a yawn, glaring at Saimana, then Ashini.

"Nayru, you two. I was having a great dream." She pouted. Ashini rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. We've got a day's march ahead of us, so get your ass up already."

XxxX

Ganondorf lounged on his throne, lazily watching two of his human servants fight to the death.

He could feel it.

The brat, the pitiful kid's daughter, was getting closer to him by the day. It would not be long now.

The King of Evil sighed, a small smirk forming on his lips.

_I wonder... will the brat be as entertaining as she sounds? She's that kid's, after all._

For now, he could only wonder.

And for now, he would wait.

XxxX

Linika wearily sat in her chair, watching her strategists and generals argue through half-lidded eyes. Her stomach growled pitifully, and she sighed.

It always sounded the same to her. Liberate this town versus that town, march to this place or that place, raid this caravan or that one, we don't have the manpower/money/supplies, la di da...

The redhead yawned loudly, drawing attention to herself as she stood.

"Excuse me. I have matters to attend to," she lied.

"But Commander, you've not decided to..." A strategist began. She instantly whirled in his direction, finally snapping.

"Listen to me, all of you! Every day, I come here and watch you bicker and fight, hoping that you've decided something! Every day, I am disappointed! We've not done anything in the past two months, the cities of Toi, Nerai, Kenti, and Renta all remain in Ganondorf's hold, and the soldiers are getting restless! I am _tired,_ both of this and of your inability to agree! From here on, all decisions regarding the liberation of cities shall be decided by Aveil and Impa. All matters of obtaining supplies shall be handled by Princess Ruto of the Zora and Darunia of the Gorons. Pre-battle planning shall be left to my two trusted strategists, Terasu and Yumi. Post-battle cleanup, repair, damage assessment, and loss count shall be managed by Nabooru. All other matters of importance will be discussed first, _before_ being brought to my attention." Linika looked around the room, her annoyance very obvious.

"Now, I am tired. You are all dismissed for the day. That is all."

She stalked out, leaving them all staring at the doorway she'd left through, slack-jawed.

XxxX

Linika collapsed onto her bed, laying a hand on her forehead as she sighed.

_"Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by two-year-old idiots."_

Forgetting her hunger for the moment, she closed her eyes, needing a small rest.

XxxX

When Linika woke up again, the sun was setting, painting her room red through the window. She yawned, feeling refreshed.

She glanced out the window, frowning slightly. She hadn't meant to sleep quite so long.

Her stomach rumbled thunderously, reminding her that she had yet to eat. She headed outside, intending to find herself something to eat.

"Commander!"

Linika groaned in frustration, turning around to see a young soldier running towards her. He stopped in front of her, panting to catch his breath, then straightening up after a few moments.

"What is it?" Linika questioned tiredly. The soldier saluted.

"The gate watch has reported that there is small group of heavily armed, suspicious mercenaries requesting your presence, miss. What shall we do?"

Linika considered his words for a few moments, and then sighed in resignation. "_I suppose my hunger must wait a while longer..."_

"Tell the watchmen I shall be there shortly. Dismissed."

"Yes, miss!" The soldier saluted once more, then ran off the way he had come. Linika started walking after him, hoping the "mercenaries" were who she thought they were.

_"If they're not, I may die..."_

XxxX

Kana looked around in amazement as he was led into the village. It was much larger than Saimana and Romani had described, bustling with activity even at the end of the day. A ring of soldiers surrounded them like they were criminals, garnering them many strange looks from bystanders.

After a few minutes, they came to a halt near an old-looking well full of crystal-clear water. They stood there for a few moments in silence before a calm, gentle voice spoke from behind them.

"Soldiers, you may return to your posts. I trust them."

"Yes, ma'am!" The soldiers chorused in unison, walking away. The group was left alone as a familiar-looking redheaded woman came into view.

"Saimana," Linika greeted warmly, giving her daughter-in-law a hug. "It's nice to see you again." She turned to Romani, embracing her as well. "And you too, Romani."

"Linika, it's been a long time," Saimana replied just as warmly. "How have you been?"

Linika sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "I've been better, but I'm doing the best I can. And you?"

"The same goes for me." Saimana glanced around. "Linika, about Siria..."

"She's not with you, I'm aware. However, she should be here within a month," Linika said, her dove landing on her shoulder and passing the letter in its mouth to her offered hand, taking another letter that she handed it. "I believe I have not met your companions before."

Kana moved forward, grinning and stretching out his hand. "I am Kana Thurane. Your daughter, Saimana, and Romani saved my life. Pleased to meet you."

Linika shook the offered hand, an odd look present in her eyes. "I'm glad they did."

Introductions continued with Styx introducing herself. However, Ashini merely stared icily at Linika, while Ronin shook her hand and said his name quietly, his eyes as calm as always.

Styx nodded at Ashini. "You'll have to excuse her. I believe there's a stick stuck somewhere in her ass. She acts that way with Siria, too."

Ashini grunted, looking away. "...Ashini Moroke," she muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Linika questioned, unsure what she'd said.

"My name. Ashini Moroke," Ashini said haughtily.

"Ah. Pleased to meet you," Linika replied calmly, looking the white-haired woman in the eyes.

They held each other's gaze for a few moments, before both looked away, their expressions unreadable.

"Well then..." Saimana paused, the silence punctuated by a loud growl. "It seems you're just as hungry as we are, so if you'd lead the way..."

Linika smiled broadly. "Gladly."

XxxX

"All wight, shtop me if I'm wong," Kana said through a mouthful of rice, then swallowed. They all looked at him. He pointed at Linika with his fork.

"You're Siria's mother, right?"

Linika nodded.

"And you were the Hero of Time before her?"

Another nod.

"But I've always heard that the Hero of Time who saved Hyrule was a Hylian man. Unless I've been told lies, something's up with that."

Linika flushed, looking down. "You've been told the truth," she said quietly.

"You're obviously a woman, and a Gerudo at that," Styx murmured. "There's no way that was you..."

"...an..." Linika muttered.

"What did you say?" Styx asked curiously. Linika didn't raise her head as she repeated her statement, louder this time.

"You've heard what you have because when I saved Hyrule, I was not the same person. I was a man."

Silence.

"O-_kay,_ so how is it that you're not anymore?" Kana asked awkwardly.

"While he was being sealed, the King of Evil put a curse on me. The curse resulted in me becoming female and bearing his child."

"Hold on a second." Styx raised a hand, then made a "time-out" sign with it. "Are you telling us that Ganondorf is Siria's father, and Siria's supposed to kill him?"

Linika didn't reply, instead opting to look away.

"Linika," Saimana said gently. "Whatever you may think, we all know that it's not your fault. It must be done."

"I know that," Linika replied quietly. "But I wish I never would've been selfish, like I was when I passed the burden on to Siria. I was only thinking about my own comfort."

"You made the right choice, regardless," an airy, yet tired-sounding voice said from the doorway.

Vaati walked over to Linika's table, sitting down, with Aran and Arinia doing so as well. "Hello. I am Vaati Anatogan. A vision led me and my companions to your daughter, and before an unfortunate incident separated us, we were traveling with her."

Aran spoke. "I am Aran Hylia, and this is my wife, Arinia Hylia. We traveled with Vaati as her companions."

Linika's expression became unreadable. "Pleased to meet you, you three. I never would've expected the Princess of Okani and two ancient warriors to make my acquaintance."

Arinia looked surprised. "You know?"

Linika smiled in amusement. "Well, I wasn't completely sure, but you just confirmed it."

"I think her question was more like a way of asking _how_ you know," Aran said. Linika shrugged.

"Her name and appearance match that of the Princess of Okani, just as much as yours match the rulers of Ancient Hyrule," Linika elaborated.

"Getting back to what you were discussing," Vaati gave a small smile. "I'm almost positive you made the right choice by giving Siria the title Hero of Time. I think she's the only living person who can do what is necessary."

"Vaati," Romani began, drawing everyone's attention. "How did you three catch up to us in the past six months?"

"That would be because of the horses we bought," Aran offered. "We gave them to your mother as a gift, then came here when she gave us directions."

"Wait..." Kana thought aloud. "In order for that to be possible, you would have had to _pass_ us on the way."

"Probably. We saw a few groups of travelers on our way, but we didn't really pay much attention." Aran scratched her head in embarrassment, then noticed that Vaati had fallen asleep. "Ah, excuse her. She's recovering from a lot of injuries, and she can't use magic right now."

"I don't mind. If she needs rest, she needs rest." Linika waved a hand. "In any case, down the hallway on the right, there's a spare bedroom. She can have it."

"Thank you for your kindness. Well then," Aran bowed, picking up Vaati carefully. "I shall return soon."

XxxX

"So, what was it this time?" Ivinia asked Siria curiously as they walked along. Siria yawned (she had just waken up.)

"A former Hero of Time, facing an evil beast."

Ivinia considered this. "Hmm... Have you seen his memories before?"

"No, this was the first time, oddly. From the way people talked, it must've been a long time ago, though."

"Well, I'll record it." Ivinia pulled out a long scroll. When they had left the mountain pass, Siria had decided to start recording the memories she experienced, trying to see if they could help her somehow. "If you had to guess a time period, when would you say it was?"

"Um... either the second or third era, from what I could tell."

"And what was his name?"

"Link."

Ivinia repeated what Siria had told her, and the writing appeared on the paper as she spoke. When she had finished, she rolled up the scroll. "Well, that's the oldest one so far."

"How exactly are these supposed to help you?" Oriton questioned doubtfully. Siria shrugged.

"I must be seeing them for _some_ reason, right? Maybe there's something to learn from seeing them."

"Maybe." Oriton didn't seem convinced.

XxxX

"This isn't right." Linika murmured to herself, staring at the fire.

Siria had made friends with two displaced heirs of occupied countries, two ancient warriors, and three of the most skilled assassins there were.

Happenstance?

She didn't think so.

"What in the hell is drawing all these important people to my daughter? Is it Fate?" She murmured to herself.

"Perhaps it is," a quiet voice said from behind her.

Vaati seated herself on a log opposite the redheaded woman, yawning.

"After all, it seems that Fate is rather favorable towards your daughter," Vaati offered. Linika sighed.

"I won't deny it; but why?"

"As Time slowly withers Life, it leads Life to end with Death, or Fate. Have you not heard this proverb?" Vaati asked. Linika shook her head.

"I've not, but I can see where you would think that Fate favors her because of Time."

"Indeed, Time, Life, and Fate are all sisters, bound together in a triangle," Vaati murmured.

XxxX

Siria let out a furious cry as she felt the moblin's spear slice through her shoulder. She threw herself at the monster with full force, knocking it over and slicing it in half.

Ivinia and Oriton could do little more than watch in amazement as Siria took on the horde of monsters by herself. She never gave the beasts a chance to get close to, much less attack her companions. The Heroine of Time was a red blur of death, killing the disgusting creatures before they could react.

XxxX

In the Temple of Time, the Master Sword began to quiver slightly in its pedestal, as if it were being shaken by an unseen force.

XxxX

Ganondorf smiled slightly.

It would be mere days now.

Mere days until he could finally end the brat and the pitiful woman.

Mere days until a new age of darkness, under _his_ rule, began.

He couldn't contain his laughter at the thought.

XxxX

_Omake:_

_Visions_

"So, with all these visions you've seen, what have you learned?" Oriton asked Siria. She looked away.

"Nothing yet," she admitted. "But I get the feeling that it will all make sense soon."

"Soon, indeed." Ivinia looked up from the map. "We've got a day until we cross the border, Siria. Let's go back over the visions so far."

_List of Visions Siria has had;_

_4E Y903_

_Person: Name Unknown_

_Vision subject: Battle between two armies. Victory on the opposing side._

_#2_

_8E Y632_

_Person: Hero of Time - Daemon_

_Vision subject: Hero of Time destroys a powerful demon._

_#3_

_10E Y789_

_Person: Hero of Time - Linika/Siria's Mother_

_Vision subject: Linika discovers the spell Ganondorf cast._

_#4_

_Time Unknown_

_Person: Name Unknown_

_Vision subject: Nameless person wanders through what seems to be Hell, fighting demons._

_#5-17 - Same place as #4, possibly the same person._

_#18_

_2-3E Year unknown_

_Person: Hero of Time - Link (Possible namesake of Siria's mother?)_

_Vision subject: Hero of Time destroys an evil beast similar in name to Ganondorf._

_#19-21_

_10E Y789_

_Person: Hero of Time - Linika_

_Vision subject: Linika fights Ganondorf._

_#22_

_Time Unknown_

_Person: Siria_

_Vision subject: Siria is the person from #4-17. Evil omen?_

_#23-25_

_Time Unknown_

_Person: Siria_

_Vision subject: Forced to watch Saimana die. Same each time, by Ganondorf's hand._

_#26-39_

_Time Unknown_

_Person: Siria_

_Vision subject: Forced to watch everyone she knows die by Ganondorf's hand._

_#40_

_Time Unknown_

_Person: Siria_

_Vision subject: Dies at Ganondorf's hand._

_#41_

_Time Unknown_

_Person: Name Unknown_

_**Vision subject: End of the world.**_

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER IX

END

XXXXX

**A/N: I know it's short. Bear with me here. It won't be long until this is over, guys.**


	10. Chapter X

Forever, My Love

Chapter X

**A/N: Hey, guys! It's been a while (again)! I've really gotta get my ass in gear writing this chapter, so I'll give you all the notes at the bottom!**

**Oh yeah, how do I keep forgetting this?**

_**I don't own the Legend of Zelda, or Fire Emblem, or… okay, come on. It would be pretty big news if a fanfiction writer owned Nintendo, so I'll just keep writing.**_

"Okay, seriously?!" Siria screamed in frustration.

Perhaps it was justified, seeing as between her and the border of Hyrule, there was only about five hundred feet.

Oh, and an enormous mob of monsters.

"It's nothing we haven't dealt with before," Oriton pointed out, hefting his axe. "They haven't stopped us yet, have th… OH, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! _NOW?!_"

His shout was born of the fact that at that moment, Siria had passed out, presumably because she was about to have a vision.

"Well," Ivinia sighed heavily, half-carrying, half-dragging the Hero of Time over to a tree and laying her against it. "…This will be fun."

"Your definition of fun is fucked up, Ivy."

"Let's just get to it," Ivy said, resigned, as the first hail of arrows and spears began.

XxxX

"Oh, this is _great,_" Kana commented sarcastically as he and his companions, plus Linika and her forces clashed with a gigantic army of monsters that stretched out so far they couldn't see the other end. The young man brought his sword up in an arc, cleanly slicing a Wolfos in half.

"Don't despair quite yet. Ganondorf is trying to slow us down, which means that Siria is very, very close. He's throwing almost half of his entire force at us and her," Linika told him as she fought nearby. Kana was slightly amazed; the former Hero of Time wasn't breathing heavily. In fact, she hadn't even broken a sweat.

_"Just what kind of superhuman is she?!_" He thought, he himself drenched in his own perspiration.

_"Wait."_

"THIS IS ONLY _HALF?!_" He shouted in disbelief.

"Calm down. On any battlefield, a clear mind is of the essenc,." Aran told him, stabbing a moblin that had been about to impale him through the heart.

"I made it this far without 'clearing my mind," Kana pointed out, rolling out of the way of an Iron Knuckle's swing.

"Hmm. Remind me; who was the only one to be caught in the Huntress' spell back in the Pillar of Forest?" Aran asked smoothly.

"Haha. Fuck you too," He said irritably, shoving his sword with all his might through the Iron Knuckle's breastplate.

XxxX

"I need to help!" Vaati struggled against Arinia, who was holding her down. Arinia sighed. The purple-haired woman had a fever of 103 degrees, and she still wanted to go out there?

"For one who's usually so wise, you're rather childish about things concerning your own health, Vaati." She shook her head. "You'd only prolong your healing time by going out there."

"I don't care!" Vaati said in frustration. "I should be helping! Everyone else is!"

"Yes, they are, but they're also not in the same kind of condition you're in," Arinia told her gently.

Vaati pouted childishly. "Please?"

"No," Arinia repeated firmly.

Vaati sighed, hanging her head in defeat. "Fine. I give up."

Arinia smiled in relief, releasing her.

XxXx

_Hmm._

_I've no doubt in my mind this is a vision. However, this seems to be the first vision…_

_I look down at my hands, the same, familiar hands, the symbol of the Triforce of Courage shining brightly from them._

…_The first vision where I have control of my thoughts and actions - where I can actually remember who I am, and know it's a vision, without anyone else's memories flooding and taking over my thoughts._

_I'm not really sure whether that's good or bad._

_In any case, I'm surrounded by white._

_It's not a blinding white, it's just… white. Like… blank paper. It's empty space._

_It seems to go on infinitely in every direction. I have a hunch that I could run until I die in one direction and never reach the end._

_Somehow or another, I'm content with this; this blank whiteness, this empty space. It's comforting, in a way._

_Is that odd?_

…_Perhaps it is._

_Why am I here?_

"_The sword."_

_The voice comes from behind me, and I slowly, unafraid, turn around, somewhat surprised by the people before me._

_There are seven of them that seem to be important, as they're dressed differently than the others. Some of them I know, most of them I don't._

_The first, dressed in a yellow and orange robe, is an old, balding man. His eyes seem… sad, like he's been alive so long he's not surprised by anything. His gaze is watchful, but he says nothing._

_Next to the old man is a young girl with bright green hair and eyes, who, from her young appearance, must be one of the children of the forest, the Kokiri. She merely waves, and I wave back._

_After the Kokiri is a tall, bulky Goron, creases of laughter in his face, and the light of humor dancing in his eyes. He smiles widely, and I feel at ease, like even though he's so big, he wouldn't hurt a fly._

_Next to the Goron is a Zora woman, in a blue dress, odd, sapphire-like jewels dangling on her earrings. She stares at me wordlessly, and I feel unsure of what to do, so I look away._

_Beside her is a person I've never met in person, but I've heard quite a bit about; Impa, the bodyguard and caretaker of Queen Zelda, her steely gray eyes and white hair giving her away, even if her painted face hadn't. She gives me a small, almost invisible smile, and is the first of all of them to speak._

"_You really are her daughter."_

_I nod, knowing who she means, and she says nothing more, but her smile grows, and she looks like she approves of me._

_Finally, I see someone I know, and this person I know pretty well, seeing as she's Mother's best friend. She has long, red hair, like my own, blue eyes, and tanned skin. She is Nabooru, leader of the Gerudo and basically my aunt. She flashes me a grin, nodding at me, and I smile back, glad to see her after so long._

"_It's nice to see you again, kid," she says, and I can't contain myself; I pull her into a tight hug._

"_I've missed you, Nabooru!" I tell her as she hugs me back._

"_We'll catch up later," she whispers. "This is the most we can do for now; I need to look like I'm serious."_

"_Okay," I whisper back, smiling broadly and letting her go._

_The last of them is another person I know, but not quite as well, and not on such… __friendly__ terms._

"_Hello, Siria." Queen Zelda speaks in her usual, aloof-sounding voice, but something different than usual about her tone._

_She sounds… sad._

"_Hello, Your Highness," I respond, kneeling respectfully._

"_Please stand. We don't have much time."_

_I do so wordlessly, looking at her expectantly._

"_You know about the Master Sword, I presume?" Queen Zelda asks. I nod._

"_The Blade of Evil's Bane. I've seen visions of the Hero of Time wielding it."_

"_Good. The reason you're here is that sword. The closer you are to it, the more visions you will see, but I'm sure you've figured that out. I don't care how, or by what means, but there is absolutely one thing you must do before anything else once you arrive in Hyrule; draw the sword. Until you touch the sword, you will never be free from the visions, and you will never be safe from Ganondorf or his followers."_

"_I understand," I reply seriously. She nods, and the seven of them step apart, and I'm faced by a crowd of people, mostly blond-haired men, all dressed in green. Their clothing is almost exactly the same; full body tights, a green tunic, a green hat, leather boots, and fingerless leather gloves._

_I don't have to be a genius to know that these people are all former Heroes of Time. I can also almost guarantee that at least half of them are named Link._

_One of them steps forward, smiling kindly. He is, unsurprisingly, a blond-haired, blue-eyed Hylian, and he looks maybe twenty years old._

"_You've come to tell me something?" I ask. He nods._

"_First, allow me to introduce myself; much like many of your predecessors, my name is Link. I was the first Hero of Time, and faced the evil demon Ganon in the first era, while the world warred constantly with itself. What is your name, young Hero?"_

"_I am Siria Avalon, daughter of Linika Avalon," I respond firmly._

"_For what purpose has the Goddess of Courage called on your strength?"_

"_To destroy the King of Evil, Ganondorf."_

"_If it comes to it, are you prepared to die for the world?"_

"_I am."_

"_Finally, are your heart, body, soul, and mind fully devoted to your role as Hero of Time?"_

_I pause, thinking about all the doubts I've had, all the fears and all the uncertainty about being fit to be the 'Hero of Time.' I take a deep breath, brushing all of that aside, and slowly respond._

"_They are."_

"_Then allow me to explain to you about the Blade of Evil's Bane, Hero of Time," he says._

"_You know, I'm sure, that the sword is locked away behind a great door, the Door of Time. Of the four keys to it, three are still in place, and one is not far. To open this door, you must play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time, which you will receive soon enough._

"_When you draw the sword, be aware; you must respect the blade. Only those who are truly honorable and truly worthy may wield it. To all others, the blade is too heavy to lift. The sword is like an extension of your own body; its heart beats as long as your own does. It fights as long as you do. But be aware; even if it is the Blade of Evil's Bane, even if it is the Master Sword, forged in the heavens, in the end, a sword is still a sword. Despite its name, the sword is only as skilled, only as true, and only as honorable as the one who wields it. Are you ready to bear the responsibility of the Master Sword, Hero of Time?"_

"…_I am ready."_

"_Then you have the support and trust of all those before and after you. Fight in the name of the Goddess of Courage, and show the world her true power."_

_He steps back, and all of the former Heroes simultaneously give a loud battle cry. The cry is so loud I instinctively close my eyes, and when I open them again, I am alone._

"_We will always stand by you," the first Hero of Time's voice whispers in my ear, and I feel my consciousness fading._

xXxX

Siria awoke to her back against a tree, loud shouts and battle cries coming from a short distance away.

At this stage, it was almost instinct for her; she leapt to her feet, drawing her sword and charging into battle to help Ivinia and Oriton.

XxxX

When the battle was over, Oriton and Ivinia looked at Siria in surprise and a tiny bit of awe; she was expressionless, focused, and her skills had improved yet more.

Suddenly, a dove flew overhead, dropping a small, misshapen wrapped object at Siria's feet. She picked it up wordlessly.

Without any explanation, she turned to them, saying, "Come on. We have to move quickly."

They glanced at each other, Ivinia sighing and Oriton shrugging, before following the red-haired woman as she walked forwards, towards her destination.

XxxX

It had been a few hours since the battle began, and even Linika was beginning to tire from the seemingly endless wave of beasts. The casualties on both sides were large, but no matter how many monsters they killed, she had the sinking feeling that the number on her force was still much larger.

The only person that still seemed to be fighting with full strength was, unsurprisingly, Ronin. Even Aran, the next strongest, was exhausted and ready to pass out.

Linika could see it. She could see it in the desperate faces of her soldiers, the bodies littering the ground, and the men dying around her.

They were going to lose.

"_Where the fuck are you, Aveil, you traitorous bitch?!" _She thought furiously, noting how few of the Gerudo were in her force. The Gerudo were supposed to be taking another town, but she had sent them a messenger hours ago asking for reinforcements.

Just when it seemed they were going to be overwhelmed, a battle horn blew from the top of a nearby hill.

The entire world seemed to stop at that moment, as everyone and everything present turned to look at who had blown the horn.

Three figures stood on top of the hill, looking small and insignificant against the battlefield. Linika couldn't make out their appearances, but the one in front drew her sword.

She didn't have to know what they looked like, or even see the sword itself to know who it was. When the flash of radiant blue issued from the hilltop, she instantly knew;

That was her daughter, dressed in green, holding the most powerful and legendary blade in the entire world.

"SERVANTS OF THE KING OF EVIL!" Came the loud, bellowing shout. "THIS DAY IS YOUR LAST!"

There was a small moment of silence, during which Siria pointed the Master Sword at the massive army of monsters, then stood still for a few seconds, unmoving.

In an instant, she was down the hill, crashing into the demons head-on.

Linika, as a general, knew that the Goddesses had just given her the largest blessing she had ever received in battle; the best morale booster of all time.

"SOLDIERS! THE HERO OF TIME IS WITH YOU! FOR HYRULE!" She shouted, and there was a deafening battle cry as the battle began anew.

XxxX

Siria sheathed the Master Sword, allowing the last moblin a brief moment of confusion before an arrow flew through its head.

The red-haired woman sighed in relief, feeling like she could fall asleep on her feet. She was actually beginning to sway a bit when a voice spoke from behind her.

"…Siria?"

She whirled around, knowing that voice, but not having heard it for a painfully long time.

Siria and Saimana just stared at each other for a few moments, completely silent.

"Sai… mana…" Siria whispered slowly, her eyes taking in her wife's new appearance; instead of her usual straight hair, the silver-haired woman had it in a ponytail to the side, and there was an unfamiliar scar on her shoulder.

Saimana gazed at Siria, shocked at how different she looked; her hair was much longer now, her skin was almost as tan as a full Gerudo's, her features had sharpened, and she looked worn and weathered.

Saimana almost fell over with the weight that collided into her, Siria hugging her in a death grip, sobbing like she'd never seen before.

"Saimana… Saimana… Oh goddesses, Saimana…" Siria was practically bawling with happiness.

Saimana allowed herself to cry too as she hugged her wife back, losing herself in the warmth she hadn't felt for the longest time.

Their kiss was full of repressed feelings from the time they'd been apart; sadness, fear, doubt, frustration, anger, confusion, and the rest.

"Oh goddesses, Saimana…" Siria croaked, having finally cried until she couldn't anymore. "I was afraid you were…"

"Same to you, Siria…" Saimana whispered hoarsely, leaning into her embrace. "I was so terrified…"

"I love you," Siria stated, kissing her wife again and again.

"And I, you," Saimana replied, breathless from all the kissing.

After a long time, the two finally released each other, but continued to hold hands as they walked towards the village.

Saimana was about to take Siria to the house they were staying in when she noticed two familiar-looking people out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, and when she looked directly at them, her eyes widened.

"IVINIA! ORITON!"

She let go of Siria's hand, tackling her two unaware siblings in a tight hug.

"Saimana…?" Ivinia asked in shock, then smiled broadly, hugging her sister back. "Saimana, I've missed you!"

"_We've_ missed you, she means," Oriton corrected, hugging his younger sister as well.

"What are you two doing here?" Saimana asked breathlessly, happy and excited.

"We were following you, trying to find you and bring you home," Ivinia told her truthfully. Saimana stared.

"Why?"

There was no response from her siblings, but even though it was a clear day, the sky rumbled with the sound of thunder.

"…Oh," Saimana said weakly.

Meanwhile, Siria was looking around, amazed at just how much Kakariko had changed.

"Wow," she thought aloud. "This place almost reminds me of Castle Town."

"That's because it basically _is_ Castle Town now, kid," a relaxed sounding voice came from behind her.

"Nabooru!" Siria cried, hugging her in the exact same fashion she had in her vision.

"Easy, kid." Nabooru laughed, wincing a bit. "I may be the greatest warrior the world has ever seen, but even I got a few bad scratches from that battle."

"As modest as ever, I see." Siria grinned. Nabooru grinned back, nodding at her.

"You know it. Wow," She paused for a moment, looking her friend's daughter up and down. "You almost look the part of a true Gerudo right now."

"What do you mean?" Siria asked, tilting her head.

"You've got that nice, sharp look about you, and your skin is almost as dark as mine," Nabooru told her, then frowned. "Although you could do without that stupid hat."

"No," Siria said defensively. "It's part of my clothing. Plus, I know what you did to Mother's hat. This one is not to be burned."

"Aww." Nabooru pouted. "How about if I rip it into pieces and _then_ burn it?"

"No."

"You're just as boring as your mother."

"Whatever. The hat stays., Siria replied.

"What's this? I hope you're not being a negative influence on my daughter, Nabooru," a teasing voice said, and Linika walked up to Siria, hugging her daughter tightly.

"I've missed you, Mother," Siria murmured.

"I've missed you too, Siria," Linika responded, then pulled back, holding Siria by the shoulders. "Let me look at you."

She looked her daughter up and down, seeing just how much she had grown in the past six years. And she truly had grown; she was taller, stronger, her hair was longer, her face was weathered but happy, her eyes were deep and thoughtful, and she looked almost exactly like a younger version of her mother.

"You've really become a fine woman, haven't you?" Linika smiled happily. "I'm glad, and I'm also proud of you."

"If you say so," Siria replied, giving her mother a small punch in the shoulder.

"What was that for, young lady?" Linika asked in annoyance. Siria gave her an equally annoyed look.

"That was for not telling us just how hard Ike's training would be, how much the Triforce would hurt when awakened, and for every time I had to climb a cliff under Ike."

Linika smiled in amusement. "You lived, and you're a better person for it, right?"

"I suppose." Siria tilted her head from side to side in agreement, then remembered something, her face saddening. "I've got something for you."

"What is it?" Linika asked in concern, noting her daughter's sudden change of mood. Siria reached into her pouch, pulling out a small, silver flute and handing it to her mother. Linika's eyes widened, and she looked from the flute to Siria.

"Siria, this is…" She was stunned into silence. Siria nodded somberly.

"Na gave it to me, but I don't think I can bear carrying it anymore."

"No, that's not what I meant," Linika said. "This is a soul flute."

"Huh?" Nabooru and Siria both asked simultaneously, confused. Linika sighed, shaking her head.

"Impa taught me about these. They are special instruments that the owner locks their own soul in by playing it. When the owner dies, the soul stays in the flute until it's played again, releasing it and allowing them to reform."

"Wait, so…" Siria's eyes widened. "She's basically still alive?"

"In a sense. Nakataru gave this to you, didn't she?"

Siria nodded.

"On the way here, how many times have you come close to death while carrying this flute?" Linika questioned. Siria thought.

"About five or six," she replied eventually.

"And every single time, you've somehow miraculously survived, right?"

"…Yeah, I have."

Linika held the flute up. "She's been protecting you all this time. That's why she gave this to you."

Siria was stunned. Na had done such a selfless thing for her?

"Can she still be brought back?" She asked.

"It's very possible, yes," Nabooru broke in. She was staring intently at the flute. "Her soul is in perfect condition, so the only real barrier keeping her from coming back to life is the absence of a body."

"Couldn't we just use her old body?"

Nabooru gave Siria a weird look. "Even if we could, why would you? Depending on how long ago her death was, her body would be quite decayed, and unfit to live in. No, the best thing to do would be to find a body as similar to her former one as possible. That way, the process of entering the body would be far less painful."

"Why would it be painful?" Siria questioned. Nabooru smiled slightly.

"Why wouldn't it be? If I were to take your soul from your body and force it into someone else's, do you think it would be painless? Because of the fact that no two people are alike, your soul is obviously only meant for your own body. Your new body would have to change drastically to resemble your old, therefore becoming a suitable vessel. I'm not sure if you're aware, but the process of transforming one person's outer appearance into that of another's is complicated without the aid of magic. By physical force and willpower alone, you would feel every single little change your body made. For example," Nabooru gave Linika a hearty pat on the back. "Changing from a man to a woman is one of the most painful and disorienting things a person can ever experience. Therefore," Nabooru took a breath. "The best thing to do for your friend would be to find a female wood elf that has recently died. Now, I'm no expert on population, but I'm willing to bet quite a lot that there isn't anyone around who meets that criteria."

"So what do we do?"

"We have three options. One, we leave her in the flute until we find a suitable body. Two, we just use any body and hope she can bear the process. Three, we play the flute now and set her free, allowing her to pass on."

There was a long silence between the three of them. Finally, Linika spoke up.

"…It's what she'd want," she said quietly, raising the flute to her lips.

Slowly, subtly, a single note faded in. After sustaining the note for about ten seconds, Linika began to play an unfamiliar, yet beautiful melody.

Suddenly, as she was playing, the flute began to glow a slight green. Linika took no notice, continuing to move her fingers lightly.

When she finally finished, lowering the flute from her mouth, there was a small silence, and then...

It was as if there had been an explosion. Quite literally, the sound that issued from the instrument was louder than the loudest clap of thunder any of them had ever heard, deafening them.

As quickly as it had begun, it stopped, fading out, leaving their ears ringing and their heads dizzy just from the sheer volume of the sound.

"What the h…" Siria instantly fell silent. There hadn't been an explosion, but from the instrument, which was now lying on the ground, a rainbow of light was shining radiantly.

And then, like something out of a dream, the rainbow began to twist and grow, forming into the shape of a person, shimmering and bending, then solidifying, until, at last, in front of them stood Nakataru the Forest Elf, a quiver and bow slung over her shoulders, the same peaceful smile she'd worn on the moment of her death on her face.

"Hello, Hero of Time." She said warmly, walking over to the silent Siria. "I'm glad to see you remembered me and wanted my aid."

"Wait, but…" Siria was struggling to word her sentence. "You died. I buried your body myself."

"I'm afraid not. That body was merely a recreation, a… doll, of sorts, for me to control while I remained sealed inside the flute. I did not die; I merely lost a metaphorical limb."

"I'm glad you're alive," Siria whispered. Na smiled.

"As am I, Hero of Time. Judging from the atmosphere and amount of people…" Na looked around, slightly nervous. "I would guess we are quite far from my home."

"Oh, quite far indeed," Linika spoke.

"Linika." Na sighed in happiness, turning to face her old friend.

In one motion, they both extended their arms and hugged each other tightly, looking extremely happy.

Glad Na was back, but unsure what to say, Siria crept away, going off to find the members of her group she hadn't seen in the longest time.

XxxX

"Hey, hey, ow!" Kana exclaimed, wincing as Arinia cleaned his wound. The black-haired woman gave half a smile.

"Oh, don't be such a big baby. It's almost over, anyway."

"Well, then, I guess it's o- HEY! THAT FUCKIN' HURTS! FUCK!"

"You'll be fine, believe it or not. Arinia won't let you die," Aran laughed, leaning back in her chair.

Aran, Kana, Styx, Romani, and Ashini were all in the infirmary to be taken care of, along with the obvious additions of Vaati and Arinia, who were both already there.

"Well, I don't _feel_ fine!" Kana retorted, inhaling sharply as Arinia continued to dab at his wounds.

"Boo hoo." Vaati scowled, her face a flaming red from her fever. "Count yourself lucky you're not like me."

"Shh," Arinia shushed the purple-haired woman gently. "You might aggravate the fever."

Vaati's scowl deepened, but she fell silent nonetheless, looking out the window. She exhaled slowly, smiling gratefully as Aran changed the rag on her forehead.

"Oi!" Kana yelped. Arinia had just pulled the knot on one of his bandages tight. "Aren't you being a bit rough?"

"Am I?" Arinia asked innocently. Kana raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

XxxX

"S-Siria…" Saimana gasped, her face flushed as her wife pinned her against the alley wall. "N-not here…"

"Hmm?" Siria purred, her mouth latching onto the soft white skin of Saimana's neck. She bit down gently, leaving a large red mark. "Did you say something, Mana?" Her hands traveled freely over the silver-haired woman's body, tugging impatiently at the clothes hindering her progress.

"Si…ria…" Saimana moaned, tilting her head back as her eyes glazed over in ecstasy. "Nnn…"

"I've missed… My adorable Mana…" Siria practically ripped Saimana's bodice apart, exposing her chest to the air. Her mouth followed almost instantly, causing her wife to utter a muffled cry of pleasure. Saimana's hands tangled themselves in Siria's hair, and she arched her back as Siria gently rolled her other breast with a hand.

"Siria… Hah…" Saimana's breath came out in heavy, ragged gasps, Siria's overeager hands roving her near-perfect body, her blue eyes alight with lustful hunger. "There's… a bed… t the house…"

"Too far." Siria growled, her hands firmly squeezing Saimana's rear. "_I need my Mana now._"

It wasn't long before Saimana was using both hands to cover her mouth in an attempt to keep from moaning and shrieking as Siria devoured her body.

XxxX

"It's odd," Aran started. She and Arinia were at the top of Death Mountain, looking out over Hyrule. "This land, it looks nothing like ours, and they speak a different language, and yet... It _feels_ like Hyrule."

"Mmm," Arinia agreed simply, taking her wife's hand. "The air is one of happiness, even in this time of oppression."

"Our land never had such an air," Aran murmured, her eyes shining with regret. "We were terrible rulers."

"But that's in the past now," Arinia reminded her. "We aren't rulers anymore. We're new people. We fight not for the sake of fighting, but for the sake of peace."

"For the sake of peace..." Aran echoed, smiling faintly as her wife embraced her from behind. "I like the sound of that."

"Siria's grown since we saw her last, don't you think?" Arinia asked, changing the subject.

Aran nodded. "She reminds me of the legend. She really has become the Hero of Time."

"Not just that. Her looks, the way she carries herself... The air about her, even, has changed. She's more confident, more determined... More mature. Before, she had the skills to be the Hero, but she doubted herself. Now, she has the skills _and_ the mindset. There's not a doubt in my mind that she can defeat this 'King of Evil.'"

XxXx

_It seems I'm dreaming again._

_I've returned to that empty white space, but this time, it is not the Sages or the crowd of former Heroes of Time that greet me. No, instead, I am confronted by just one person, one I have not met before, but looks familiar._

_It is a man, and he resembles all the former Heroes of Time greatly, but I get the feeling that he is different. He approaches me, gazing at me with something between pride and affection._

_"Hello, Siria. I believe we have yet to meet," he says gently._

_"Um... Hello," I reply unsurely. There is something... off about him, but I can't place it._

_"My name, as you may have guessed, is Link. I am the section of your mother's soul that was separated from her when she was hit by Ganondorf's spell. Because Ganondorf was so weak, his spell did not fully 'take.' You may think that his intent was to humiliate your mother by making her a pregnant woman. In reality, that was only part of it. He intended to also take her with him into the gap between worlds, have her give birth to his child, and then he would train that child for his return, intending to use them as a tool against Queen Zelda and the Sages to conquer Hyrule, while your mother remained in the gap between worlds for eternity. However, because he was so weak, only part of your mother was brought with him, and this part remained male, so it was useless to him. Now, that part dwells in the gap between worlds, where it shall likely remain forever."_

_"And that's you?" I guess. He smiles sadly._

_"Yes, that's me," he replies. He sighs, shakes his head. "You know, your mother, the other half of me, has done an excellent job raising you. I have brought you here to tell you that I am proud of you, as proud as I could possibly be, even if I am not truly your parent. And I also want you to know that I believe in you with all my heart. You will be able to do what I could not; destroy the King of Evil once and for all."_

_"Is there any chance I could set you free?" I ask. He sighs again, shaking his head._

_"There would be but one way to do that; when all the pieces of the Triforce are gathered, the one who possesses them is given the opportunity to make a single wish. This wish could be whatever their heart desires. It is likely that you may somehow find yourself in possession of the complete Triforce, Siria; I want you to wish for it to be sealed away for eternity. Do not waste this chance on me. You must prevent tragedies such as the ones that have befallen the world throughout history because of the Triforce. Please, Siria; this is my one request of you. Do not allow any further tragedy because of the power of the gods falling into the hands of evil ones."_

_"I... will do as you ask. I promise," I tell him. "And I will find a way to set you free, too."_

_He laughs bitterly. "It would be impossible to do both, Siria."_

_"It can't be. The Sages opened a portal to this place without the Triforce; they're bound to listen to a request from the Hero of Time, aren't they?" I insist._

_"You are definitely worthy of the title, I can tell. But no, Siria. At that time, the future of the world depended on them opening the portal, and they risked their lives in opening it. I couldn't ask them to do that just to set me free... Ah, it seems it's time for you to wake up," he says, pulling me into a hug._

_As my vision fades, I can hear him whisper, "I love you, Siria."_

xXxX

"_The longer she has to recuperate from her journey and spend time with her friends," _Zelda thought, gazing into the crystal ball Impa had given her what seemed like forever ago. _"The happier and the more prepared she'll be for the fight with _him_. And knowing Ganondorf,"_ her eyes flickered up to the knob of her door, subconsciously affirming that the Gerudo man was not, in fact, present. _"There's no way he'll allow that to happen."_

XxxX

_Omake:_

_Breakfast_

"Nnn..." Siria moaned, rolling over in bed, only to be stopped by another sleeping form.

Blinking her eyes open in confusion (and rubbing them a few times for good measure), Siria sat up with a yawn, looking at the other person. It took a few moments for her brain to finally register that yes, she was back with Saimana again. Over the past year, she had grown accustomed to sleeping alone, so waking up to another person beside her was a little disorienting at first.

Saimana yawned, slowly opening her eyes and sitting up as well. "...Siria...?" She mumbled in confusion. "Must still... Be dreaming..."

Hugging her wife, Siria murmured, "Mana, don't you remember? Yesterday, I practically saved the entire army, remember?"

Slowly coming around, Saimana nodded drowsily. "Oh, right..." She laid her head against Siria's chest. "Forgot for a second..." Saimana murmured sleepily.

"I love you, Mana," Siria told her wife.

"Love you, too." Saimana yawned again. "How did you sleep?"

"Good. And you?" Siria questioned, neglecting to tell the silver-haired woman about her dream.

"Good. Well," Saimana, finally fully awake, smiled, "shall we go eat breakfast?

"Mmm... But there's a delicious meal right here?" Siria attempted playfully; she received an equally playful flick on the forehead for her troubles.

"No, Siria-chan," Saimana scolded gently, slightly flushed. "I'm your wife, not your breakfast."

"Why can't you be both?" Siria tried again.

Saimana sighed, getting up and out of bed to dress and prepare for the day, her wife following close behind, every so often trying again to persuade her that they could merely devour each other.

XxxX

"Good morning," Linika greeted Siria and Saimana as the couple stepped out of their room, Saimana's face slightly red and Siria's...

What _was_ that expression on her daughter's face? If she had to guess, it would be...

Perverted?

Linika put a hand on her hip, watching as her daughter passed, then sighing, shaking her head, and shrugging.

_"Young people."_

XXXXX

FOREVER, MY LOVE

CHAPTER X

END

XXXXX

**A/N: Wow, this took ungodly long to get out, as I'm sure you've noticed. I've been wanting to get Siria and Saimana back together for the longest time, and despite how long it took for me to find the idea, I'm satisfied with the way I reunited them. Most of the rest of this chapter was just an excuse to call it a chapter.**

**This is how it basically looked in my head; plotplotplotplot, Siria and Saimana get reunited, plotplotplotplot. Bleh.**

**Also, don't eat your spouse for breakfast. I don't care how horny you are. That doesn't get you the proper nutrients. BACON AND EGGS, MOFO!**

**Is it me, or have my Author's Notes been gradually degrading in terms of quality? I feel like they have...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading Chapter 10! See you next time.**


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